Zhao Dashan drove the car towards the yard. Before he stopped at the door, the wooden bed and cart had been delivered and Lin Lishan was waiting outside the door.
Zhou Xiaozheng got out of the car as soon as it stopped, "Dashan, park the car first." He ran to the gate and helped carry the wooden board in, only to see that the room inside had been cleaned.
Zhou Xiaozheng looked at his wife who followed him in and asked, "Shanshan, is this room clean?"
"I've packed it up first, waiting for you to buy the bed. Brother Zheng, just make the bed."
Zhou Xiaozheng nodded, and after he and the woodworking factory master installed the bed, he checked that there was no problem. He walked the master to the door and saw the cart in the yard, so he also pulled it under the eaves of the firewood house.
"Shanshan, where should we put the coal briquettes when we get them back? Will it be the same place as before? Have you asked Xiaoya?"
Lin Lishan smiled and glanced at him. "Don't worry about me. I've already asked for everything. Even how to light the clay stove. That girl is really nice and very attentive. The main room and the living room have all been cleaned. Now the only thing left is the kitchen. It will only take another day tomorrow. I've also agreed with the mother and daughter to come over to help tomorrow. The military blanket is too small. The room with the kang is fine, but it won't be enough for us. It's too small. I've already made an appointment with Hongli to go with her to find someone to make two thick blankets tomorrow. These blankets will be in the closet for now; it would be a waste to use them as mattresses. I'll see if the quilt maker has mattresses for sale tomorrow. All that's left is to measure the fabric for the three curtains and the duvet cover and sheets. Remember to bring the fabric back to the car."
Zhou Xiaozheng looked around and said, "The car is outside. You and Hongli should go check it out now. There's no need to wait until tomorrow. Buy some ready-made ones if you can. Also, buy a few mattresses. Ping An will wet the bed when he grows up. Bring the cotton tickets with you. You might need them. Drive carefully."
Lin Lishan took the bills and pulled out the cotton bill. "I'll leave the other bills with you for now. I think I need to go to the supply and marketing cooperative tomorrow. I haven't bought the soy sauce, vinegar, and salt yet."
"Okay, you can do whatever you want. There's no rush. You can always buy some if you don't have any. When you come back, remember to check if there are any buns. Buy some for you and your mother to take back. I'll give you some food coupons and money tomorrow."
Lin Lishan nodded. She still had food coupons, so she had no shortage of them. She planned to give them more, so that when Jiaojiao needed to do some general cleaning, which would take ten days or half a month, she could ask them for help.
"Hongli, the car is back now. Let's go to make quilts first and see if there are any ready-made ones. We also need to buy mattresses. Do they want cotton coupons?" Lin Lishan hurried to the kitchen to find Cheng Hongli.
Cheng Hongli shook her head. "We don't need cotton coupons here, but some places do. Some people in the village grow cotton, so they should have some readily available. My colleague's daughter bought a wedding quilt when she got married last time. If you have more money, buy a few more. I heard recently that cotton has to be turned in here too, so you can't buy it without cotton coupons. You can buy mattresses, but the quality is terrible. Most people just use straw. Let's go take a look. There are a lot of people getting married at the end of the year, so we really need to go early to check it out."
Lin Lishan said to the busy mother and daughter, "Xiaoya, you and your mother stay busy here first. Your Aunt Cheng and I will go buy some quilts and will be back soon. Don't rush back. If you need anything, call your uncle. He's in the yard."
Liu Xiaoya replied obediently, "I understand, Aunt Lin. Go ahead. Mom and I will clean up the things in the kitchen and put them in the next room. We'll wash them and wait for you to put new ones on the table."
Lin Lishan smiled at her. This child is quite well behaved, but unfortunately she is too thin. Seeing her reminds me of Jiaojiao. It's a pity that she didn't go to school for many years, otherwise she would like to find her a job.
Lin Lishan and Cheng Hongli got in the car and drove in the direction Cheng Hongli said. Now that everyone was off work, there were more pedestrians on the road, so the car could only move slowly.
"Hongli, you must be exhausted today, right?"
Cheng Hongli shook her head and smiled, "It's really okay. Didn't you see it's actually quite clean inside? It's just not disinfected. I feel uncomfortable living here. Where did you find that girl? She works really well."
"My old landlord, Mr. Liu, introduced her to me. She's been buying groceries, cooking, and cleaning the yard for the old couple, so I specially asked her to come over to help today. The little girl is well-behaved and sensible, and her mother is also very capable."
Cheng Hongli sighed sympathetically, "The little girl is quiet but capable. If she had the conditions, she would be in school. I heard that she has three younger brothers. Only her father and brother have jobs, and they have to support their grandparents in the countryside. Her mother's household registration is in the countryside, so she can't find a job, not even temporary work."
"Life in the countryside is even harder. Every household has its own problems. Okay, let's not talk about them anymore. Your daughter is in school today, right? Do you want to go pick her up?"
"No, his brothers are all at home. They are old enough to take care of themselves. How many days will you stay now that you have taken leave?"
Lin Lishan shook her right hand helplessly. "Forget about a few days. I can only ask for seven days at most. Later, I insisted on giving you a few more days. It's only fifteen days. Minus the six days of round trip by train, there's not much left. Even next year's vacation is gone. I can only stay here for a week. I also want to see if there are any missions to the Northeast Military Region these two days."
"What about Brother Zheng? It can't be just seven days, right? He's accumulated quite a bit of vacation time over the years. He won't let you go back alone, right?"
"This isn't a vacation for him. His superiors gave him time to deal with the things he was doing. He was given a few days to take office, and he should have a month's vacation after he's settled in. He just came back and didn't have a clue what to do. He didn't have time to visit the troops after the appointment documents came down. He stayed home for a while and then got on the train in a hurry. He has to go back with me even if he stays here for 7 days. At the end of the year, when the children are older, the three of them will go to Beijing for a while. There's nothing we can do. Jiaojiao had to come up. Fortunately, my Jiaojiao understands."
"Well, since no one will live there after you finish packing, and there's no rush to move, just take your time."
Lin Lishan blinked at her and smiled, "We want to be prepared. We may not be able to take more than half a month's leave next time. Once she's settled, we can go back with peace of mind. Besides, we want to take her out to live for a while, so that the couple can be free in the city. We'll let them go back in December for a few days before going to Beijing. When they come back next year, they'll have to go back to work, so they don't have to go back."
When spring came, the family split up again. His parents-in-law were nice people, but in the countryside, as you know, little things spread quickly. Jiaojiao would rather suffer than be looked at with strange eyes. Back in the city, they can live their own lives, the way they want. Her father and I haven't told her we plan to bring her to the city yet. Haha, her father borrowed a car and said he could bring her back directly if he had one.
"Haha, so you're planning to pack up and bring her back directly?"
Lin Lishan nodded. "I heard her two sisters-in-law didn't take good care of themselves after their confinement. They went out to help with housework after seven days, which is still good. Others have to go out to work. I want Jiaojiao to have her full month, but it's not convenient there."
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