Chapter 46 New Home
On the first day, the rain finally stopped, and the sun peeked out from behind the clouds.
The next day, it was as if the torrential rain and strong winds of the previous days had never happened. The sun shone brightly in the sky, and even the air seemed to carry a hint of heat.
On the third day, the muddy water on the road surface gradually turned into thin mud.
The entire factory is engaged in self-rescue efforts, and the post-disaster disinfection work is naturally carried out by the hospital. Chen Yun is responsible for leading the team to disinfect all office areas.
During this time, she used the money in her purse to cremate Song Shiwei and bury her on a hillside facing away from the factory.
The purse and the remaining money were buried in front of the grave.
She only learned to rely on men during her life, but finally she relied on herself after her death.
After being so busy for half a month, life will not be able to return to normal for a while, but the workshop has begun to resume normal production.
On the third day after the disaster, the transport team sent a vehicle to the county town to scout the road, as the road conditions would determine the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people in the factory.
As the team leader, Gao Ming naturally accepted the task without hesitation.
After two days of anxious waiting, Chen Yun's car returned fully loaded with supplies, thus resolving her basic living needs.
For the past two weeks, Chen Yun and Ruan Qiu have been staying in the hospital office.
Although Ruanqiu's house was on the fifth floor, the windows and doors had been blown off by the wind, and the house was completely flooded, making it uninhabitable for the time being.
Gao Ming and Li Huguo were busy with work during the day and slept in their respective offices at night.
In their busy schedules, the two would occasionally visit each other at the hospital, have a quick meal, and then return to work.
Chen Yun didn't even have time to go back and check on her own house. After the rain stopped, the hospital took in many people with colds and fevers, and the antibiotics brought back from the provincial hospital were used up overnight.
To free up wards for seriously ill patients, Zhang Guixiang moved with her two children and Li Weihong to the second-floor office to recuperate after childbirth.
Later, Chen Yun couldn't remember how long she had been working non-stop, but she knew the exact date was when more than a dozen notices were posted on the factory's bulletin board.
In the most prominent position was a notice dismissing Zhao Jidong from his position as head of the broadcasting station, as well as an announcement holding him accountable for the major work errors in this operation.
All staff at the broadcasting station were laid off, and new employees were recruited from the family members of factory workers.
Later, these were all follow-up compensations for losses such as houses lost in the disaster, and awards for employees who performed outstandingly in disaster relief.
The last two cards brought great joy to Chen Yun and Ruan Qiu.
The deputy head of the security department shirked responsibility and was afraid of death during the disaster relief efforts. He was removed from his position and replaced by Comrade Li Huguo.
The entire transport team promptly evacuated all its vehicles during this rainstorm, preventing damage to the factory's public property. The entire team is hereby commended.
Team leader Gao Ming performed exceptionally well and was promoted to head of the transportation department, enjoying the benefits of a department head.
"Li Huguo's promotion to deputy section chief this time is all thanks to Gao Ming!" Ruan Qiu happily touched the words "deputy section chief" again and again: "If Gao Ming hadn't made Li Huguo listen directly to the factory director, he wouldn't have gotten the promotion this time."
Chen Yun coughed twice, pulled Ruan Qiu out of the crowd, and whispered a reminder: "Just keep it to yourself, it's not good for others to hear!"
"I was so happy that I forgot myself." Ruanqiu was so happy that she pulled Chen Yun to the cafeteria, saying, "I'll treat you to a meal there, and when the house is ready for you two, I'll set up another table for you."
Having gone through so much, Li Huguo has finally learned to tell whose advice to listen to in critical moments. He made a name for himself in front of factory director Zhao Feng when he caught a car thief last time, and he also performed brilliantly in this disaster relief effort. Sooner or later, he will be promoted.
Gao Ming was certain that after the car thief incident, the management of the security department would be transferred from the deputy factory director to the Youth League Committee. Liu Congwu had always been assigned to Luo Youmao's side, and Zhao Feng would definitely arrange for someone from the factory director's side to be placed in the middle.
Li Huguo was naturally the best candidate; as long as he seized the opportunity to perform well and make contributions, his promotion was a sure thing.
"Don't worry about hosting a dinner party yet," Chen Yun said, tugging at Ruan Qiu's sleeve. "Didn't you see the issue about the redistribution of houses?"
Starting from the fourth day after the disaster, the factory applied to the provincial housing and construction department for several geological experts to conduct a new geological survey of the factory.
This is not only to prevent the same situation from happening again in the future, but also to prepare for the construction of new family housing.
More than ten family apartment buildings were flooded by the heavy rain. Li Weihong's house was also mostly washed away, and the two-story red brick building that Chen Yun had seen before was also devastated.
The cement plant is working overtime to speed up the construction, and the construction team has already started laying the foundation at the first selected location.
According to Chen Yun's estimate, the first batch of people will be able to move into the new family building in three months at most.
“Your son, Li Huguo, is now a deputy section chief. He can reapply to the Youth League Committee for a cadre family housing unit.”
The notice board clearly stated that the housing allocation standard for factory cadres was two bedrooms and one living room, and Li Huguo was qualified to reapply for new housing.
Ruanqiu's eyes lit up; she was even happier than when she saw Li Huguo get promoted.
She moved in with Chen Yun because of a neighborhood dispute, and now is the perfect opportunity...
"Let's go to the Housing Management Department."
“Let Gao Ming and Li Huguo go…” Chen Yun licked his dry, chapped lips, feeling a fever creeping up his neck from his feet: “I think I have a fever.”
"..."
Chen Yun, who had managed to finish all her work, collapsed. A sudden, intense fever knocked her down onto the small bed in her office.
Because I was pregnant, I couldn't take many medications, so I could only force myself to use physical methods to lower my fever.
It was a month later when I finally managed to get through this severe cold thanks to my immune system.
Chen Yun finally realized... that transmigrators do not have steel bodies.
***
Many of the small trees planted in spring along the roadside looked sick from the scorching sun. Their leaves were covered with a layer of dust, curled up on the branches, and drooped listlessly. The cement road was also scorching hot. After walking a few steps, Chen Yun hurriedly moved to the shade of the trees to catch his breath.
The eight-month pregnancy exacerbated the heat, and Chen Yun woke up almost every night in a sweat, taking several cold showers a day without feeling it was too much.
Gao Ming, who was originally walking ahead of Li Huguo, quickly jogged back and vigorously fanned himself with a large palm-leaf fan.
"I already told you to rest in the office; the sun is so strong and the road is long."
"I finally got the house, I have to go see it in person."
After half a year, Chen Yun's new house was finally completed, and Zhao Qing, the head of the housing affairs department, immediately notified Gao Ming and Li Huguo to choose a house.
The two dormitory buildings, which were completed three months ago, were prioritized for the placement of employees, with the staff housing being the last to be accommodated.
“We chose that house in Building 10, right…” Gao Ming smiled and tucked a stray hair that was wet at the corner of Chen Yun’s mouth behind her ear, then handed her a water bottle: “But it’s vanished without a trace.”
After the river receded, Gao Ming and Chen Yun went back to Building 10 to take a look. All that remained of the original houses were ruins, and the location of the houses could only be vaguely seen through the iron frames.
"I still have to go," Chen Yun insisted, waving her hand.
The new house is a three-story building, with two bedrooms and a living room. Chen Yun insisted on seeing it with her own eyes to be sure what it looked like.
"No matter which house you choose, we'll choose the one next door." Ruanqiu said cheerfully, supporting Chen Yun. Her smile hadn't faded in the past six months.
When she was in a good mood, she naturally became much gentler towards Li Huguo, and the couple's relationship has been even more passionate lately than before they got married.
"Let's go." Chen Yun walked out from under the tree, one hand on her waist. "The sooner we choose a house, the sooner we can move into our new home. I'm really fed up with living in the office."
Living in the office means that public and private matters are not separated. If a patient suddenly comes in around 7 or 8 pm, other doctors can't see him and have to transfer him to her.
Living in the smell of disinfectant all day long is really not a pleasant experience.
"arrive."
A three-story red brick building came into view, with brand-new machine-made red tiles on the top and half of the exterior walls freshly painted gray-white, while the second and third floors were still red brick walls.
Each floor has six windows. If it's a two-bedroom, one-living room layout, then there should be three units on each side, and six units per floor.
As Chen Yun walked along a newly paved cement road toward the house, her eyes lit up instantly.
She saw workers building a wall on the other side, seemingly to create a courtyard for each family on the first floor.
"Brilliant!" Chen Yun looked at Gao Ming with delight.
"I'll do whatever you say." Gao Ming raised an eyebrow, a hint of helplessness in his smile. "Whichever floor you choose, we'll stay on that floor."
As I walked into the building, the corridor was filled with the smell of paint, and the green wooden doors were probably painted just a few days ago.
Zhao Qing said that the room numbers would be announced in the middle of the month, and people would be assigned to whichever room they were assigned to, so most people would not have the right to choose.
The factory director and the Youth League Committee have been relocated to a new, larger apartment building. Half of the residents in this building, numbered 36, are ordinary employees.
They are either those who performed exceptionally well in losing their homes during this disaster, or those whose families are large and have been waiting in line for a long time.
"It's quite cool on the first floor."
"Should we look upstairs or downstairs first?" Gao Ming asked with a smile.
"You can go check the third floor, Ruanqiu and I will go check the second floor."
The staircase is located at the entrance, and beyond the staircase are the water room and public toilets.
The layout and size of each room are similar, except that the two rooms at the front of the room have a side balcony, but the balcony is so narrow that people can't even stand on it, so it doesn't make much difference whether it has one or not.
The house is square, with two bedrooms at the front and the living room getting its light from the windows in the hallway.
So the living room is very dark when you walk in, and it only gets brighter when you open the bedroom door.
"The third floor is similar to the second floor, except the roof is higher."
Gao Ming and Li Huguo quickly came down from the third floor. As soon as they entered the room, they could feel the sweltering heat from outside rushing in through the window.
The two grown men were sweating profusely after standing there for only a short while.
The trees outside the family quarters were planted recently, and it will probably take three to five years before they can provide shade.
So the two of them glanced at it quickly and hurried downstairs, rejecting the idea of choosing the third floor before Chen Yun could even mention it.
"Let's go take a look on the first floor."
The layout of the first, second, and third floors is exactly the same, so there is no need to look closely.
Chen Yun walked around the corridor but couldn't find any sign of the kitchen.
Gao Ming asked the wall-building workers and learned that everyone was cooking in the corridor and the cooking platform would not be built for another two days.
“No wonder there was no wall at the end of the corridor; I thought it hadn’t been sealed off yet,” Ruanqiu said.
To put it simply, this apartment building is just a slightly larger tenement building. In order to speed up the construction process, some extra space had to be sacrificed.
Chen Yun shrugged: "What's there to hesitate about? Let's choose the first floor."
“I agree,” Ruanqiu raised her hand.
Chen Yun chose a room furthest from the window, otherwise the cooking fumes would all drift into the room.
"Then I'll choose the one next door."
With limited options, Chen Yun quickly made a decision, and moved in as soon as she got the key.
The weather was still hot on the day of the move.
"Luckily, we ordered the furniture a long time ago."
After the heavy rain, people who needed to wash their clothes and buy furniture had to queue for two miles, and those who had lost their homes were waiting for new houses to be arranged for them.
Chen Yun went to the store to pre-order furniture the day after it reopened. The furniture voucher provided by the factory was only for one bed and one wardrobe. The rest of the furniture was brought back by Gao Ming from the provincial capital and piled up in the transport team's shed.
How should the sofa be placed?
Gao Ming bought two bamboo sofas, one long and one short, from the black market. Apart from getting his hair caught in them a bit, they were much more practical than the plush sofas in the summer.
With the 1,500 yuan compensation from Zhang Hongmin, the couple spent lavishly on furniture.
"The smaller one should be placed against the wall of the smaller bedroom, and the larger one can be placed against the wall... The coffee table can be placed between the two sofas."
Chen Yun stood with her hands on her hips, directing Gao Ming to arrange the furniture like a general. Her prominent belly made her look somewhat comical.
Gao Ming knocked down a section of the wall in the small bedroom and spent money to replace it with a window.
This completely solves the problem of lighting in the living room; you can simply open the window to ventilate the living room.
Chen Yun found it strange that Gao Ming had another carpenter make a canopy bed, and that he was preparing a room for his unborn child so early.
"Little Chen!"
"aunt!"
Chen Yun had heard this voice for over a year and was already familiar with it. She knew without turning around that the person calling her was Old Lady Ma.
"I was just saying I was going to ask the housing department where you moved to!" Old Ma walked into the house with her hands behind her back, and looked around the house excitedly: "I didn't expect we would become neighbors again, and live even closer this time." As she spoke, she turned around and pointed to the door across the street.
What a coincidence!
After the rain stopped, both Ma Laoniang and Yang Juhua were arranged to stay temporarily at the club. Chen Yun thought they had already been assigned rooms in the first two batches, but unexpectedly they became neighbors again in the blink of an eye.
“Not only me, but Yang Juhua is here too.” Old Ma pointed to the stairwell again: “Old Hu’s family is on the second floor, and looking at it this way… it seems to be right above yours.”
"What a coincidence!" Chen Yun smiled sincerely, and then went to see Zhang Guixiang across the street: "Let's have a big feast tonight, with all our families sharing the meal."
It was only in this life that she realized she wasn't the type to quietly read books and delve into academic research; Chen Yun preferred excitement and gossip.
"Let's tidy up the house first, then we'll get together." Old Ma cheerfully pulled Chen Yun aside: "Why is your house so much brighter than ours?"
“My family knocked down the wall of this bedroom and installed a window, so the outside light can naturally shine into the room.”
“I’ll have Ma Zhigang change it like that tomorrow too.”
Ma's mother thought that Chen Yun and his wife were indeed cultured people; their minds worked much faster than theirs. They immediately found a solution to the problem when they felt it was dark, instead of just complaining about the house like they did.
Chen Yun was about to pull people inside for water when Old Ma saw the bare yard through the window and slapped her thigh, finally remembering why they had come twice.
"I was originally planning to ask around on the first floor about the idea of converting the small courtyards into kitchens."
I've been staying at the club for the past few months, and everyone cooks in the corridor. The smoke during mealtimes... it's so strong that you can't even open your eyes.
When Grandma Ma arrived at the new house and found that she had to cook in the corridor again, she was extremely unwilling.
So she thought of building a roof over the yard to turn it into a kitchen. Of course, it wouldn't work for her family to do it this way, so she was planning to go door to door to ask.
The yard is only about 20 square meters, which is obviously too small to grow vegetables and fruits. Turning it into a kitchen is a really good idea.
"I'm fine with it," Chen Yun readily agreed.
"Then I'll go ask the houses ahead. I see that they're all occupied."
"become!"
Old Lady Ma excitedly went to knock on the doors of the next few houses, while Chen Yun continued to direct Gao Ming to arrange the furniture.
"We'll put the refrigerator by the door. If we really turn the yard into a kitchen later, we'll move it to another place then."
"Brilliant! Why do I feel like the walls are empty?"
Once the furniture was arranged, the room felt like a home, but when I habitually looked up at the wall, all I saw was a blank white wall.
"Let's take a wedding photo first, and then a family photo, after the baby is born!"
Do you prefer a son or a daughter?
Despite constantly telling herself that she should eat scientifically to avoid gaining too much weight, Chen Yun still gained nearly 20 pounds, and she could even touch her double chin when she raised her hand.
I'm currently quite resistant to Gao Ming's suggestion of taking wedding photos; if we're going to take them, we'll have to restore about 80-90% of the original photos.
Gao Ming chuckled and scratched his head, his gaze falling on Chen Yun's belly before moving up to her face: "The girl must look like you, it's not good if she looks like me."
“If it were a daughter… it wouldn’t be good for her to be like you.”
The couple chatted and laughed as they slowly leaned closer together. Gao Ming pinched Chen Yun's cheek, intending to kiss her again... but suddenly pulled away.
The sound of Old Lady Ma stomping her feet in frustration echoed from the doorway.
"I'm so angry! What kind of people are these..."
Chen Yun covered her mouth and chuckled, then straightened her expression before turning and walking to the door. Ruan Qiu, who had come out from next door after hearing the commotion, also looked on curiously.
"aunt."
Chen Yun only called out once, but Old Ma couldn't wait to start complaining.
Do you know who lives next door to Xiaoruan?
Chen Yungang opened his mouth.
"It's Zhang Hongmin's family!" Old Ma wiped the spittle from the corner of her mouth and spat again in annoyance, "They were cowardly and hid at home during the heavy rain, and now look what happened... they actually got such a spacious house. They're really lucky!"
Upon hearing this name, Chen Yun's upturned lips slowly relaxed.
All the new furniture in the house was made possible by the 1,500 yuan compensation from Zhang Hongmin, but Chen Yun knew perfectly well why.
Living next to someone like that brings no joy whatsoever.
“Zhang Hongmin saved the leader who came to our factory to inspect the disaster situation.” Gao Ming’s voice came from the sofa, and he sneered after saying that: “He told the factory that his family had a lot of people and they had difficulty living there.”
Even before moving in, Gao Ming had heard Zhao Qing mention the reason why Zhang Hongmin was able to move in: he had saved a leader who almost slipped and fell, and had become a role model of bravery in the factory.
It's really ironic...
"He doesn't agree to move the kitchen to the backyard?" Chen Yun asked again.
"They're going to build a roof over his yard, but it'll be used for living. I heard from Zhang Hongmin's mother that his niece from his hometown is coming... They say it's just for a few days, but who knows what they're really after?"
Unmarried women of marriageable age coming to stay with relatives at the factory for a period of time are practically screaming "I'm here for a blind date!"
In addition, two months ago, a radio broadcast announced a decision to formally end the revolutionary movement, meaning that letters of introduction would no longer need to be checked by the Revolutionary Committee, which would attract even more people to the factory.
“Then we won’t move.” Chen Yun smiled and said, “Anyway, their house is downwind, so whoever suffers will know.”
"Why should I meddle in other people's business? I'm just bored!" Old Ma waved her hand, deciding to stop meddling.
"Cooking is just a small matter." Chen Yun saw Ma Cuifen reading again through the open door of the Ma family's house and asked with a smile, "Cuifen, you're taking the college entrance exam next month. How's your preparation going?"
“This child said he was not confident and might have to study for another year.”
Chen Yun recalled that in the first year, 5.7 million people took the college entrance examination, ranging in age from 50 to 20.
Compared to those who have specifically studied high school knowledge, Ma Cuifen is at a disadvantage, and it is indeed quite difficult for her to get into a good school.
“I also told Cuifen that instead of just going to any university, it would be better to study hard for another year at night school and get into a good school,” Chen Yun said.
Of course, if you want to repeat a year, you still need your family's support; otherwise, family conflicts will make it harder to focus on your studies.
"Guixiang and Zhigang both support Cuifen to study for another year, and even said that she should take the medical school exam in the future so that our family can also produce a doctor."
"That's great! Maybe Cuifen and I can become colleagues in the future."
"That won't stop you two from moving. I'll go back and wash the diapers for the two babies."
Grandma Ma walked two steps toward her door with a cheerful smile, then quickly turned back with an "Oh dear!": "A few days ago, Guixiang said she'd ask me to help take care of you during your postpartum period. She said you could just call me when you need to wash diapers or cook."
"No need, Auntie. You're so tired taking care of two babies every day that you don't even have time to catch your breath. How could I trouble you?"
"No trouble at all, I'll have Cuifen and Cuixia help me with it."
Chen Yun hadn't yet considered who to ask for help during her postpartum period, but Ma Laoniang's words reminded her.
"Don't bother, Auntie, I'm here." Ruanqiu patted her chest and assured her, "I can wash diapers and cook."
"No need for either."
Gao Ming suddenly sat up from the sofa, slowly walked to the door and smiled at the group: "My parents will be here next week, and they will take care of Chen Yun then."
"No wonder you weren't in a hurry, it turns out the elders in your family are coming!" Grandma Ma waved her hand with a smile.
"My parents?" Chen Yun followed Gao Ming into the house, pointed to herself, and asked again in disbelief, "My parents?"
Gao Ming smiled and nodded, then put his arm around Chen Yun and plopped down on the sofa.
“Last month I wrote to my parents and asked them to come and take care of you during your postpartum period.”
"But...can my parents leave Taicheng?"
“The Revolutionary Committee has been abolished, so Mom and Dad can go wherever they want!” Gao Ming let out a long sigh and leaned wearily against the sofa. “I asked Dad to sell his job emptying the manure buckets, so he can come and help us take care of the children.”
Chen Yun: "..."
“We have a director and a section chief, and we can support two more elderly people.”
Chen Yun sniffed, a warm feeling welling up inside her, and her eyes involuntarily reddened slightly.
"I was planning to surprise you when your parents arrived, but Aunt Ma was so kind, so I had to tell you in advance..."
He yawned, his hands behind his head, and even the smell of lime in the new house seemed sweet. As Gao Ming spoke, he closed his eyes without realizing it.
Chen Yun turned her head and looked down, but the gratitude that was lingering in her throat was instantly swallowed back down.
No wonder there was a bed in the small room...
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