The town had electricity earlier than Maodong Village. Xu Xiangjuan's restaurant needed Ding Li's parents' consent to have electricity before someone would come. Otherwise, the electricity would not be available.
Everyone looked at it curiously when the wires were being connected, and Xu Xiangjuan's restaurant was temporarily closed, waiting to reopen after the electricity was connected.
Wu Caifeng: "You need to buy some light bulbs. Your uncle's village has electricity. He told me that now that the electricity is connected, his house has light bulbs and it's very bright."
She sounded quite envious when she heard this, as her home could be bright at night.
Xu Xiangjuan: "Mom, I plan to install two light bulbs and two ceiling fans in the restaurant."
Wu Caifeng: "We have to install this many, one in the kitchen and one outside. We don't know if the ceiling fan is strong enough, so we who work in the kitchen must install one."
It's hot now, and staying in the kitchen to cook is like being in dire straits.
Xu Xiangjuan thought that installing a ceiling fan would encounter resistance from her mother, but she didn't expect her mother to agree so quickly. However, it was best if she agreed, and she didn't have to waste her time persuading her.
Niu Niu: "Mom, it's hot."
"Mom will fan you, and you won't feel too hot." Xu Xiangjuan continued to fan Niu Niu. She was a person who was easily distracted but not easy to do two things at once. When she was fanning Niu Niu, she always forgot that she was fanning him, and Niu Niu felt too hot.
While fanning her son, Xu Xiangjuan continued chatting with her mother.
She hadn't been playing for long when Niu Niu, who had been playing with toys for a while, suddenly pushed her hand with his chubby hand. Xu Xiangjuan asked, "What's wrong, Niu Niu?"
Niu Niu was about to grab the handle of the fan, so Xu Xiangjuan handed the fan to Niu Niu.
Niu Niu took the fan and was about to hit his mother with it.
Wu Caifeng understood what was going on. "Good boy Niu Niu is trying to fan his mother. Oh, our Niu Niu has really grown up and become sensible."
Xu Xiangjuan heard these words from her mother many times before Gua Gua went to kindergarten and had few places to play, so she stayed at home all day.
It is too strange to praise a two or three year old child for growing up and becoming sensible.
Niu Niu was less than two years old, and she thought Niu Niu might still find it fun, so she let Niu Niu play for a while. There was no wind at all, and Niu Niu even got tired from playing.
When Niu Niu got tired, Xu Xiangjuan took the fan and continued to fan Niu Niu.
...
"We have to pay half of the money." The small restaurant finally opened, and Ding Li rushed over to eat. When she heard Xu Xiangjuan asking her about installing ceiling fans in the small restaurant, her first reaction was to pay half of the money.
Of course they agreed. If they don’t allow us to install fans, they are not bad landlords, so how can they exploit people?
Xu Xiangjuan: "Sister Ding, we still have to renew the lease, so you don't have to pay half of the money. We will use it for the next one or two years anyway."
When the electricity was connected and the wires were connected, the town started selling light bulbs. Xu Xiangjuan bought two for the restaurant for the time being, and then bought a fan for her home when the electricity was connected.
Maybe if they buy a large quantity, they can even give them a few light bulbs as a gift.
As originally planned, the light bulbs in the small restaurant were one in the kitchen and one in the dining area.
Except for opening it when it was installed, it has not been opened since it was daybreak.
Their family was not in the restaurant at night, but Wu Caifeng did not object to installing light bulbs. After all, it was not always bright, and the sky was darker on rainy days and in winter.
"That's not a good idea. We can't let your family suffer losses. Listen to me. I'll pay you half when the time comes." Ding Li knew that Xu Xiangjuan's family had plans to go to Huadu.
Another two or three years might pass, and although she was reluctant to leave the restaurant, she could not stop others' plans.
The light bulbs were already installed, and she was too embarrassed to talk about half of the cost, after all, a light bulb didn't cost much, but she had to pay half for the ceiling fan.
She had known about the electricity supply for a long time, and had also gone to the department store in the county town to look at electric fans.
An electric fan must cost at least a hundred yuan, and it is not cheap. A ceiling fan is an electric fan, right? The price must be similar.
She spends two or three cents here every day, and 100 is enough for her to have lunch in the small restaurant for half a year.
Besides, Xu Xiangjuan's family won't be renting the house forever, so they can't let her suffer a loss and let the next family get a bargain.
Ding Li continued, "I have to pay you. Don't talk about it. You still have to install it at home. The more you save, the cheaper it will be. We can find the same master to install it. It will be cheaper."
Although there is electricity in every home now, there are still many families who just install a light bulb, and very few people will buy an electric fan specifically.
Originally she was planning to buy an electric fan, but after listening to Xu Xiangjuan's words, Ding Li decided to buy a ceiling fan, which would have to be installed by a craftsman.
When she contacts us, she will know the amount and give her half.
Xu Xiangjuan no longer insisted, "Sister Ding, I understand. Let's buy them together. Buy the ceiling fan as soon as possible. The weather is hot now, and those of us who work in the kitchen need a ceiling fan even more."
Ding Li: "It's settled. Weigh me a piece of egg cake today. I brought some with me and will secretly eat it as a snack in the afternoon."
She really likes egg cake, and it feels great to secretly eat a bite at work when no one is watching.
Xu Xiangjuan: "Okay, the egg cakes are not sold out today. Sister Ding, you can choose a piece and I will cut it for you."
Ding Li finished her meal and left with a small piece of egg cake.
Wu Caifeng and her daughter sat at the counter, "Juan, Ding Li is such a good person. She can even give half of the profit to the restaurant."
She heard everything just now, but she didn't say anything. She just listened silently.
Xu Xiangjuan: "Mom, these two years have passed. If you and Dad are not tired, you can continue to do small business here and ask reliable relatives to come and work."
She told Sister Ding that she and her family were going to Huadu, but she didn't make it clear whether she was really going to close the restaurant.
After all, her parents are still around. If their small restaurant can run for two or three years, they will definitely have some savings and the "signboard" that her mother always talks about.
By then, the small restaurant would be a profitable business, and the benefits would not go to outsiders.
Wu Caifeng had this idea, "Your father and I are not too old to work. If we can really continue, we can work for another ten years and save money for you."
Xu Xiangjuan: "Mom, why save money for us? Keep it for yourself. You can do some small jobs, but don't get too tired. Rest when you need to."
Her mother was not someone who could be bullied, and she was usually quite fierce when scolding people, so she was not worried that her mother would suffer any loss.
Wu Caifeng: "It's your father. I'm afraid he has lent out money. He usually never gets it back. When I have money, I will send it to you brothers and sisters. I can keep the coffin book."
Because Xu Gensheng and Zhou Chengning were outside, one was peeling and shredding potatoes, and the other was washing vegetables. The well happened to be in the shade, so neither of them was outside. But despite this, Wu Caifeng still tried to complain about her husband to her daughter in a low voice.
There were guests present, so the mother and daughter spoke in low voices.
Xu Xiangjuan: "I am indeed worried about Dad, but Mom, if you are more firm, Dad won't dare to say anything to you. You can keep the money for yourself and tell Dad that it is for me. Dad will definitely not believe it if you give it to your brothers and sisters."
The train ticket to Huadu costs a lot of money. When you first arrive there, you need money for everything. Children's education, rent, furniture and dishes... There are so many places to spend money. Maybe she will spend all the money she has saved for several years in a few months, and she will need to rely on her parents for support.
She didn't know how many times she had told this lie, but it was most useful to her father.
Wu Caifeng: "Just say it's for our daughter. Your brother and sister are living well now, so they don't really need money from mom."
She now feels that she has a large sum of money and doesn't know how to save it.
The mother and daughter talked for a while until a new guest arrived, and then they went about their business.
...
July 11th is Niu Niu’s second birthday. The restaurant has installed a ceiling fan, and usually turns on the fan when guests come to dine.
Everyone was quite afraid of ceiling fans at first, worrying that they would fall on their heads. But the ceiling fans in the restaurant are right in the middle, and there is wind blowing, so everyone gradually became less afraid. Compared to worrying about the ceiling fans falling down, staying cool is more in line with their practical needs.
Xu Xiangjuan felt that all six tables could be blown by the wind, it was just a matter of wind strength.
Thanks to the ceiling fan, the restaurant's business has been picking up in the past two days.
Guagua invited a bunch of kids to his birthday party, and Niu Niu was very happy to sit and eat with his brothers and sisters.
Usually Niu Niu has no peers to play with, so Xu Xiangjuan thought of asking Gua Gua to invite those kids over for dinner to celebrate Niu Niu’s birthday. Well, in her eyes, all the kids are of the same age.
The only difference is whether or not one goes to school/kindergarten.
Guagua was very happy after hearing what her mother said. Besides, she didn’t have to save money to treat Niu Niu on his birthday, so she was happy to notify her friends to come over.
On Niu Niu's birthday, Xu Xiangjuan specially cleared a table. Before Niu Niu's brothers and sisters arrived, Xu Xiangjuan carried Niu Niu to sit on a chair.
Niu Niu didn't know what was going on. He sat in his seat, occasionally looking at the guests nearby and the ceiling fan in the center.
Niu Niu is still very interested in the whirring ceiling fan.
There was egg cake for lunch today. Xu Xiangjuan cut it according to the number of people. This time she specifically told Gua Gua to invite Da Jiang as well. Although Da Jiang can eat a lot and almost stole his sister's egg cake last time, it cannot be denied that he is still a good boy. Besides, Sister Ding's family and theirs have a close relationship, so it is only right to invite the two children over.
Not long after, the five children came over. It was their summer vacation, so it was Gua Gua and Miao Miao who went to find them.
Miaomiao's home is near theirs, so when they came in the morning, they simply brought Miaomiao with them. Miaomiao and Guagua were not in the restaurant all morning, but at about the same time, they still called the other three children over.
During the summer vacation, the two children at home were treated to lunch. Ding Li must have known about it and was a little envious, but Gua Gua said that this was a meal for the children, and the table was full of children, so her parents would not come to eat.
There's nothing we can do about it, Aunt Ding is not a child.
It’s still the same position, but the person’s birthday has changed, now it’s Niu Niu’s birthday.
When Niu Niu saw his brothers and sisters, he shouted in surprise. After everyone was seated, Xu Xiangjuan brought the dishes over.
They no longer sell malatang. The dishes are just a plate of cold noodles, a plate of braised winter melon, a plate of garlic cowpea, and a plate of green vegetables. Although they are all vegetarian, they look very rich.
After mom left, Guagua was the first to speak: "Happy birthday, Niu Niu."
The other four children also followed and said happy birthday to Niu Niu.
Niu Niu was the focus of the whole table today. After hearing his brothers and sisters say "Happy Birthday, Niu Niu", he also struggled to say "Happy Birthday, Niu Niu". Although his pronunciation was not clear, everyone could understand him.
After saying happy birthday, the children started to eat. Niu Niu not only had a small piece of egg cake today, but also porridge on the plate. When he wanted to eat, he just used a spoon to scoop it into his mouth.
Da Jiang learned his lesson today. He didn't rush to eat the egg cake, but put it aside first. After he finished eating, he put the egg cake in a paper bag and took it away like his sisters. Last time he really regretted eating it too early and was especially envious of his sisters who had paper bags to put the egg cakes in.
After lunch, Guagua asked his father to pack the food in a paper bag. Everyone had a paper bag, including Niu Niu. Guagua was not in a hurry to leave today, so everyone surrounded Niu Niu.
Gua Gua remembered what his mother said and took his brother out to play for a while.
Niu Niu can walk now, and everyone walks at his pace. When he can't walk anymore, Da Jiang can support him.
When Niu Niu was about to go out to play, he kept looking back at his parents. Xu Xiangjuan told Niu Niu to have fun with his brothers and sisters. Niu Niu felt that his mother agreed, so he went to play with his brothers and sisters with peace of mind.
Gua Gua and his friends didn’t go too far to play. After waiting for half an hour, they went their separate ways and Gua Gua brought his younger brother back.
Xu Xiangjuan wiped the sweat off Niu Niu's face and asked, "Did Niu Niu have a lot of fun just now?"
Guagua answered for Niu Niu: "Mom, Niu Niu is very happy."
Niu Niu was indeed happy today. Although he was sweating, there was a bright smile on his face.
Xu Xiangjuan: "Guagua, if you go out to play again, your younger brother will be much whiter than you."
As a mother, she couldn't bear to see her daughter's dark face.
When you grow up, you still use all kinds of expensive skin care and whitening products on your face.
Except for Guagua who loves to go out and play, no one in their family is black. Even Guagua's grandfather comes home empty-handed because he doesn't do much farm work.
Guagua was not worried about getting tanned at all. He said a few words to his mother. While his mother was wiping the sweat off Niu Niu's face, Niu Niu's attention was diverted by his mother and he ran out.
Today she promised her mother that she would take Niu Niu out to play for a while. After bringing Niu Niu back, she also had to reunite with her friends.
When Gua Gua went out, several older sisters appeared. Da Jiang was a boy, and would be in the fifth grade in the second half of the year, so he didn't want to play with the little girls in the younger grades. He went home first with the egg cake.
He didn't know that the consequence of bringing it home would be that his parents would share the egg cake with him.
Xixi: "Guagua, is it a bad idea for us to let Niu Niu go back so early? Niu Niu seems to like playing with us."
She always felt that she had eaten and drunk for nothing at noon and that she should take good care of her younger brother.
"Yes, Gua Gua, if we send Niu Niu back, will Auntie not let us eat with her in the future?" Xiao Jiang knew that today was Niu Niu's birthday and Niu Niu was the center of the family, so he was worried about bringing Niu Niu back to the restaurant so early.
I’m afraid my aunt will be angry.
Niu Niu is still very well behaved, unlike the children in her relatives' families, who are all annoying and want to grab the candy when they see it.
Guagua had a reassuring expression on his face: "My mom said that I just need to play with Niu Niu for a while. Niu Niu has a pale face and is still a child. He can't be exposed to the sun for too long."
Miaomiao: "That's good. Niuniu is indeed different from us."
Because Gua Gua was in town, the four little girls were often asked to go out and play. They all had different degrees of dark skin.
Since Gua Gua said it was okay, the little girls went to play with peace of mind.
Inside the small restaurant.
Zhou Chengning was eating egg cake, "Juan, Niu Niu had a great time today."
The only time he can eat egg cake is on his birthday. Usually the egg cakes are sold, and he doesn't feel comfortable eating them even if his wife gives them to him.
It was summer vacation, and of course the town's middle school was also on vacation. Zhou Chengning began to work full-time in the small restaurant. Ever since a ceiling fan was installed, he liked to sit where he could get some wind, whether there were customers or not.
Electricity is quite expensive nowadays, so Xu Xiangjuan advised her parents to turn on the ceiling fan in the kitchen as well. Don't save money on it. After all, it's the same whether you have fresh air at home or in a restaurant.
Didn’t you see that after they installed the ceiling fan in the past two or three days, more customers came to dine in?
For people who do physical work, meal time is the most relaxing time of the day.
The small restaurant bought a ceiling fan which costs a lot of electricity and turns it on when people are eating. The price of the food does not go up, so more people come.
"I'm very happy." Xu Xiangjuan fed Niu Niu porridge.
At noon, the children finished all the food on the table, and Niu Niu also finished his small piece of egg cake, leaving only his own vegetable porridge. Now that he is back from playing, of course he has to feed the porridge to the children.
"Mom, sister, brother." While eating porridge, Niu Niu did not forget to look outside. He had noticed that his sister was missing.
When will my brothers and sisters come back?
"Sisters and brothers have gone back home. They will come again in the future." Seeing Niu Niu like this, Xu Xiangjuan knew that he missed his brothers and sisters.
I don’t know if Niu Niu can understand it, but I feel like Niu Niu hasn’t listened to it yet.
But it doesn’t matter, I will forget about my brothers and sisters soon.
Because Niu Niu’s father will teach Niu Niu to speak later.
Xu Xiangjuan didn't want her child to win at the starting line or let her child bear the pressure of studying too early.
I didn't force the child, I just let him speak. It's normal to teach a child to speak.
By the time his father taught him to speak, Niu Niu had indeed forgotten about his older brothers and sisters.
When there were no customers, Zhou Chengning held Niu Niu in his arms and identified things in the restaurant. At his age, Niu Niu was still interested in looking at things and was able to learn well from his father.
...
"Juan, it must be cool to fan yourself at night." Zhou Chengning observed the electric fan.
At the end of July, electricity was connected to the house. Xu Xiangjuan spent a lot of money to install a ceiling fan in the kitchen and Guagua's room. The fan in their inner room was an electric fan that shook its head.
Ceiling fans are cheaper than oscillating electric fans, but my family still spent more than two hundred yuan on it.
My parents installed an electric fan in their bedroom. Now that we have electricity at home, we are all saving electricity.
Now that electricity was available, Xu Xiangjuan discussed with her parents about buying a TV.
My older brother and sister had previously said they wanted our parents to buy a TV, but at that time electricity was only available where they lived, so they thought we could also get electricity and install a TV at home.
In fact, it was three or four years later that electricity was available in their rural area. At that time, my parents didn't want it, so the TV was never built.
Now that electricity is available, Xu Xiangjuan naturally has to consider television.
Her parents said they had already bought an electric fan, so they would wait a few years before buying a TV.
A few years is really too long, but considering that I have already spent a lot of money to buy an electric fan for my parents, they may not be willing to buy a TV for the time being.
Especially after she bought three of them, her mother became even more against buying her a TV.
Not only Zhou Chengning was observing the electric fan, but Niu Niu was also observing the electric fan.
"Next time, when the electric fan is on, keep an eye on Niu Niu and don't let him put his hands in." Xu Xiangjuan had used air conditioning before, so naturally she wasn't as keen on electric fans as the father and son were.
Maybe the ones in the restaurant are different from those at home. The ones in the restaurant are obviously already decorated, but at home, both adults and children are still curious about them.
They installed an oscillating electric fan in the inner room because they took into consideration that her husband, Aning, was a grown man with hot body and she didn't want to get close to him in the summer. That's why they used an electric fan. The beams in the inner room were relatively high, so the ceiling fan wasn't that cool.
To use the electric fan, the beds need to be moved. The big bed is moved out and Niu Niu’s small bed is placed inside.
For example, when I go to bed tonight, I will change the sleeping positions at home.
Aning slept outside, she slept inside next to Aning, and Niu Niu slept on the small bed on the other side of her, which was against the wall.
There is a ceiling fan in Guagua’s room, and Guagua’s bed is not under the fan, so he can get some fresh air but won’t catch a cold.
A ceiling fan had just been installed, and it was her own ceiling fan. Gua Gua was also admiring the ceiling fan in her own room, so after looking at the fan in the inner room for a while, she went back to her own room and did not observe the fan with her father and brother.
Zhou Chengning assured: "Juan, I will definitely look forward to Niu Niu."
When sleeping at night in the summer, his lover always complained that he was too hot, and pushed him away after a loving couple. Now, with an electric fan, he is definitely not hot and can sleep close to his lover.
"Watch out." The house had an electric fan and a light bulb, and the bed was moved. The family portrait was placed next to Niu Niu's bed. Niu Niu no longer cared about the family portrait, but started to care about the light bulb and the electric fan.
Zhou Chengning educates Niu Niu: "Niu Niu can't just learn words, you have to do what your parents say."
The silly father and son just looked at the electric fan. Xu Xiangjuan was so speechless that she simply turned on the electric fan.
"Niu Niu, hurry up and hide behind daddy." Seeing that his wife was going to turn on the electric fan, Zhou Chengning picked up Niu Niu and made him stand up. When Niu Niu saw his mother's actions, he immediately ran to hide behind his father.
Xu Xiangjuan turned on the smallest wind speed, and Niu Niu felt the wind coming and immediately cried out.
Xu Xiangjuan was too lazy to pay attention to the father and son. She let them have fun while she went to find Guagua.
...
At night, Zhou Chengning felt unwell, but he couldn't say anything to Niu Niu.
Zhou Chengning: "Juan, if Niu Niu continues to play like this, will he break the light bulb?"
When it gets dark at night, Niu Niu especially likes to pull the wire of the light bulb, which makes Zhou Chengning worry that the light bulb will be broken.
Nowadays, light bulb switches are mostly pull-cord switches. Pull once to turn on the light, and pull again to turn off the light.
In Xu Xiangjuan's opinion, the dim electric light is still not bright enough, but it is much better than the kerosene lamp.
The restaurant already had light bulbs, but because it was broad daylight and once there were signs of heavy rain, the restaurant would close and people would go home, so Niu Niu had no chance to play with the light bulbs.
Now I love the feeling of turning on the light.
Xu Xiangjuan: "The light bulb is not broken, but the cord is about to be broken by Niu Niu. You should stop holding Niu Niu and playing with the cord all day long."
Niu Niu had no way of pulling the line by himself, so he had to ask his father to pick him up and pull the line.
Zhou Chengning was also very curious about the electric light, so he let his son pull the cord for more than ten minutes. Before his son's novelty wore off, he started to panic.
When his wife mentioned the thread, Zhou Chengning immediately put Niu Niu in the crib.
We can't let Niu Niu break the line.
"dad!"
"Niu Niu, don't call me dad. I can't hear you." Zhou Chengning said to Niu Niu with a fierce face. He sat on the edge of the bed with his back to Niu Niu and continued to look at the electric fan.
You can turn on the electric fan at night.
Because there was an electric fan, Xu Xiangjuan took out the blanket. Before, she used a thin sheet as a quilt, and sometimes she didn't even need to cover herself with it when it was hot. But with the electric fan, she needed to use a blanket.
Saving electricity is ingrained in Zhou Chengning's bones. If his wife doesn't turn on the power, he won't turn it on.
However, when his wife turned on the electric fan and left, he didn't feel hot and took the initiative to turn off the fan.
Xu Xiangjuan turned on the electric fan, and Niu Niu, who had just been calling dad, cheered because of the distant wind that blew his hair.
Zhou Chengning enjoyed the breeze for a while and then went to write in his diary.
The light bulb and the fan were installed together today. He has never written a diary with the light bulb on at home.
While her husband was writing his diary, Xu Xiangjuan climbed onto the bed to make it, and at the same time dealt with the Niu Niu who was about to jump up.
"Niuniu, sit down and enjoy the breeze with your mother."
Niu Niu opened his arms and asked his mother to carry him to the big bed, so Xu Xiangjuan had no choice but to pick up the child and put him on the big bed.
When he got to the big bed, Niu Niu hid behind his mother, but his mother's back was not as broad as his father's, so Niu Niu immediately called for his father.
Xu Xiangjuan doesn't spoil Niu Niu anymore, "Don't call dad, dad is still writing."
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