Zhou Xiaozheng and his wife didn't ride their bikes, but strolled slowly toward the county town. On the way, he introduced each village to Lin Lishan and reminisced about his childhood memories.
After entering the county town, she arrived at the gate of the small courtyard she had bought. Standing outside the courtyard, Lin Lishan looked at the gate and the wall, curled her lips, and then looked at the distance between the neighbors, and a smile appeared on her face.
After she followed Zhou Xiaozheng into the courtyard, she arrived at the main room, smiling and nodding. This was more than enough. It was very suitable for her daughter to live in, and it suited her personality.
"Brother Zheng, it's very good. Although small, it has everything and is quite clean. You have good taste." Lin Lishan looked at her husband's face full of anticipation for her praise, and she gave him a thumbs up without hesitation.
Zhou Xiaozheng glanced at her proudly and said, "Take a quick look inside the room. What needs to be changed? We need to hurry up and get our daughter out as soon as possible." Whenever he thought of his daughter living in restraint under the eyes of others, he couldn't wait to take her away.
"Haha, if you don't know, you would think your daughter is being abused at her husband's house. Fine, I won't tell you anything. Let's go in." Seeing him glaring at her, Lin Lishan quickly surrendered.
After a careful walk around, Lin Lishan had a clear idea of the place. Aside from the lack of a bathroom, everything else was quite convenient. The couple had been refined people. The books in the bookcase consisted of biographies, travelogues, and ancient tomes, relatively ordinary and of little value. There were also a few foreign books, mostly just for fun. The furniture, inside and out, was all made of fine wood. It was a wonder they'd let go of all this.
"Brother Zheng, why do you think the original owner doesn't want the furniture? They're all good things. It shouldn't be like that, they know their stuff."
Zhou Xiaozheng said thoughtfully, "Maybe he has better things at home. He said these were the old lady's dowry. Or maybe the children at home are too picky and don't know how to cherish them. The old man is afraid that they will be ruined after he's gone."
Lin Lishan pulled him into the master bedroom. "Start here. I'll tell you what to do. Remember this. We need to go to the county hospital to buy disinfectant and wipe it thoroughly. We also need to prepare the solution. You know the business. How much will not damage the material? Buy more disinfectant. The whole yard needs to be washed. Don't use the curtains anymore. They're dirty. Give them to Jiaojiao to give away later. Don't use these used mattresses anymore. They're dirty. Give them to Jiaojiao to give away later. There's a set of bedding. You don't need to buy it for this room. She has it. There's nothing else to buy here. The study doesn't need anything except wiping it down."
After saying that, he walked out to the room on the right. "This room does have a quilt. I also need a set of bedding, and I also need to buy curtain fabrics. In addition to the study, the three rooms need curtain fabrics. I'd better go buy some and make them myself."
Then we went to the next room. "This one is quite big, just a bed can be placed in it, and there are wardrobes. We can keep this room for us to stay in. We need to buy a bed and bedding. The room in front is for Xiaowu's parents or guests to stay. When people come over, we use that room to let them rest, in addition to the living room. Jiaojiao doesn't like outsiders entering her bedroom, just like me, so let me do it."
Zhou Jiao wasn't around right now, or else she would have pulled her along. She told her the curtains could be washed with disinfectant. She could make do with the quilt for now. She already had all the other duvet covers. Lin Lishan smiled knowingly at the thought of her daughter; she still wanted to give her the best. She wasn't worried about finding a use for the things she'd taken off; the old ones in the village yard just happened to suit her daughter's taste.
Zhou Xiaozheng said, taking note: "We've bought bedding for all three rooms. They're leaving all their bedding in the village to save them from traveling back and forth. Do you have enough cloth coupons?"
That's enough. This guy wants to buy more. Lin Lishan looked at him with a wicked smile. She secretly thought that her father was going to waste money now, but it wasn't what she asked. But then she thought about it and had to go to the provincial capital.
"We definitely don't have enough cloth coupons. Let's focus on buying quilts and curtain fabrics for Jiaojiao's room and ours first. After Jiaojiao moves in, we can find a way to get overseas remittance coupons to save trouble."
"It's true that even with money, there's nothing I can buy. Oh, and I got my salary, but why didn't I get the cloth coupons and other receipts? Do I have to go back to the army to get them?" Zhou Xiaozheng felt he couldn't adapt to life in China. After years of traveling around the world, he often missed this land, but after returning, he felt inconvenienced everywhere.
Lin Lishan shook her head in confusion. "I've never encountered this before, so I don't know. If you hadn't told me, I might have forgotten to give you the receipt. I'll ask about it myself when I get back to Beijing. Don't ask me, you grown man."
Zhou Xiaozheng laughed at her. He felt helpless about his wife's confused and protective nature. He just let her be. He had a good life, with a wife who treated him sincerely and a daughter who followed him. As for the others, he didn't care and didn't need to worry about them.
"Okay, listen, three sets of bedding, curtain fabric for three rooms to buy and make yourself. Coal briquettes and firewood to prepare for the winter. One set for the kitchen, and a box of disinfectant. Anything else?"
After hearing this, Lin Lishan wanted to go to the provincial capital even more. She said to him, "I've seen that except for firewood and beds, which can be bought directly in the county town, it's better to go to the provincial capital for everything else. Friendship Mall has a complete range of products, the quality is better than outside, and the prices are affordable. I'll go to the military district to borrow a car. It's inconvenient without a car. By the way, I'll go to Fang Jianmei to see if there is any way to exchange some overseas remittance coupons and notes. Jiaojiao will keep them for her to use slowly. What do you think?"
Zhou Xiaozheng was a bit tempted. He also wanted to visit his brother and ask for his help in buying food. He had been away for over 20 years and couldn't find anyone he knew in the county. Zhao Dashan alone was no match for him. The armed forces did have a car, but it was probably only one, and he couldn't use it all the time.
"That's fine. There's no rush for beds and firewood. We should go to the provincial capital right away. I can also visit my comrades. It's okay if we borrow a car and come back later. It's inconvenient to go shopping without a car. It's just right that there is a car to pick up our Jiaojiao so that she won't be cold." After Zhou Xiaozheng finished speaking, he closed every door, took his wife's hand, locked the door, and walked towards the bus station.
Zhou Xiaozheng listened to his wife's murmurs, taking in the surroundings and the people passing by, feeling deeply comforted. He was truly lucky to have found this house. The neighbors were well-off, so his daughter wouldn't be as harsh on herself as others. He knew his own daughter well. Her temperament, outlook, and thinking were all his own. She was a spitting image of his youth.
"Shanshan, come with me to see Zhao Chuangguang first. We don't know if the others will be there, so forget it this time. If I'm alone, I probably won't be able to come back at night. Jiaojiao will be worried."
Lin Lishan stood close to him, glancing at him from time to time with a silly smile, "Is the Zhao Chuangguang you're talking about the one who served in the army with you and came to our wedding to drink? The tall, cheerful one?"
Zhou Xiaozheng said thoughtfully, "I haven't seen him for so many years, do you still remember him? I heard he's doing quite well now, as the Director of the Quartermaster Department, a lucrative position. I guess he caught up with some opportunity. It's absolutely no problem to find him, we have a close relationship. I heard he's been burning paper for me for years. I'll go over and scare him now."
"That's really amazing. Most people can't sit in that position."
Zhou Xiaozheng nodded. As for Zhao Chuangguang's personality, he knew him better than anyone else. He didn't mind others not taking care of Jiaojiao. But it was absolutely impossible that Zhao Chuangguang, who was as close as a brother, had never met his daughter and failed to take care of her. He had some questions to ask him and catch up on the past. He had always suspected that the gifts from his brother-in-law in the northwest were sent by his brother there.
The Lin family said that they were just talking about flowers. Thinking of meeting Mrs. Lin this time, his eyes darkened.
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