“Brother, there’s nothing in this house. You’ll have to take care of it yourself. What do you think?” Yan Laosan had already seen it and mentioned this situation on the way.
Xu Xiangyang glanced around; the room was empty, which made it convenient to tidy up things.
Moving is a problem.
Everything else is fine, but how do we set up the bed?
He can get it, but how will he move it over?
"How much is the rent?" Xu Xiangyang turned and asked.
Yan Laosan replied, "It's five yuan a month, and the deposit is also five yuan."
This price is normal; normally, renting a larger place with a kitchen would cost ten yuan.
That's about a third of a month's salary. The city has a large population, and this is a bustling area, so it's normal for it to be expensive.
However, Xu Xiangyang doesn't need to; he can take care of his own meals.
"Okay, where do we pay?"
After everything was arranged, Xu Xiangyang returned to his space to rest at six o'clock in the evening.
Yan Laosan had been running around with him all afternoon, causing him a lot of trouble.
Xu Xiangyang thought to himself that he would definitely treat him to a meal after he moved.
Not for any other reason than the fact that he helped him so much.
These days, it's all about give and take. Don't just take it for granted that others are helping you; how can you not thank them?
Just talking isn't enough; we need to be more practical.
The next day was the weekend, a day off. Xu Xiangyang had already made an appointment with Yan Laosan yesterday to ask him to help with the move.
It was the same dilapidated courtyard; just two more streets ahead was the place to rent a house.
However, he couldn't move house, so he could only take two suitcases with him.
Not long after, Yan Laosan came over pushing a cart, followed by a woman in her thirties, who appeared to be his wife.
"Third Brother is here!" Xu Xiangyang stood next to a large pile of things, all of which he needed to move.
Yan Laosan nodded and introduced them, "This is my wife, Sun Aihua. This is my brother Xiangyang, whom I often mention."
"Hello, Third Sister-in-law." Xu Xiangyang quickly greeted her. This couple, bringing their whole family to help, are really nice people.
Sun Aihua smiled and nodded. The two of them helped load the things onto the car and then headed towards the rented house.
On the way, Yan Laosan looked at the bed board and couldn't help but ask, "Brother, this bed is nice. Where did you get it?"
Xu Xiangyang had already chosen the most dilapidated room; there were many beds in the dormitory, but the beds in his room were all new.
Only the other few rooms are dilapidated, but even so, they would be quite good by today's standards.
"My relative did this for me, and I only paid for the materials," he said with a smile, trying to evade the question.
Yan Laosan didn't ask any more questions, but the materials would cost a lot, not to mention that if he wanted to make furniture, he had to see if he had enough money in his pocket.
Upon arrival, they tidied up again. And I must say, Sun Aihua was incredibly efficient. The house was spotless, and the windows were sparkling clean!
Xu Xiangyang felt embarrassed; this wasn't someone he had hired, yet they were helping him so diligently.
"Third brother and sister-in-law, that's about enough. Let's leave it at that for now. I'll clean up the rest myself. Let's go out for a meal." He invited the two of them to go eat.
There's nothing to cook here, mainly because Xu Xiangyang doesn't want to cook here; it's too much trouble.
You can eat whatever you want in the cafeteria in this space, and you can cook whatever you want. Why bother lighting a stove and cooking here? It's too much trouble.
Yan Laosan and his wife didn't want to go, since eating out meant going to a state-run restaurant, which would cost at least two or three yuan per meal.
Thinking of this, he directly refused, saying, "Come on, bro, the two of us can just go home and eat. Why don't you go and get something to eat too?"
These days, it's not easy for anyone to earn money. They were just helping out; they didn't expect anything in return.
Xu Xiangyang couldn't help but sigh, "People at this time are so simple and honest; most of them are still good people."
He chuckled and said, "No way, Third Brother, I've been wanting to have a meal with you for a while now. Don't refuse today. If we had prepared something to cook, we wouldn't have to go out to eat. Just listen to me today, okay? After all, it's me who's moving."
After much persuasion, the two finally agreed.
Yan Laosan couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "Brother, you're such an honest man!"
Xu Xiangyang still had some grain coupons, and he had exchanged two jin of meat coupons at the black market a few days ago. He mainly wanted to see what meat coupons looked like at this time, and today they came in handy.
In state-run restaurants, you need to go to the window to order, and then pay with a receipt after ordering.
He glanced at the small blackboard, which listed today's offerings, followed by the menu.
The selection of items was pitifully small, with hardly any items at all.
"Don't order too much, brother. One bowl of noodles each will be enough," Yan Laosan said from a distance.
This state-run restaurant serves noodles every day, and they're the cheapest option available.
Although it's cheap, a bowl of braised noodles still costs 50 cents.
Xu Xiangyang smiled and nodded, then turned to the cashier and said, "Comrade, one serving of pork belly, cabbage and tofu, one serving of egg drop soup, and ten steamed buns."
These days, people have huge appetites, and if they don't have enough oil and fat, they can only make up for it by eating more.
If a woman doesn't eat meat for a long time, she can usually eat about 100 grams of rice.
Unlike later generations, who would rather vomit after eating, wasting food and would rather not eat at all.
It's just about satisfying your cravings; it's still about being greedy.
"It's two yuan in total, plus half a jin of meat coupons and half a jin of grain coupons."
Xu Xiangyang quickly paid the bill and then went back to wait.
Once the food is ready, they will call him over to serve it.
"Brother Xiangyang, how's work? Are you settling in well?" Yan Laosan asked, sitting across from him.
Xu Xiangyang nodded, "It's alright, at least it's much easier than the grain depot."
That's true. Who wouldn't envy or want a job behind the wheel?
Moving grain is physically demanding work; over time, it can lead to various illnesses and offers little security.
Yan Laosan sighed and looked at him with some envy, "Work hard in the future, this is a good job."
After a few words, the two started talking about other things.
According to Yan Laosan, the drivers here often bring back goods, including some in-demand items that are not available here, allowing them to earn more money for their trips.
Xu Xiangyang wasn't interested in this, since he hadn't seen Zhang Dezhi bring anything on the last trip.
If anything goes wrong, his job will be ruined.
Having finally found a good job, he plans to wait and see, and make sure things are stable before making any decisions.
He's not familiar with this place yet, and if he falls into a trap, no one can save him.
When the food was served, Yan Laosan didn't say anything and told his wife to eat quickly.
He felt a little embarrassed after both meals.
It seems that if Xu Xiangyang ever needs anything in the future, he'll have to step up. It's not for any other reason than that Xu Xiangyang treated him to two meals, which is enough.
You know, although the city has everything now, things are expensive. Who can eat well every day?
Xu Xiangyang's invitation means I'll probably be eating meager rations for the next two weeks.
Xu Xiangyang had no idea what he was thinking. He just felt that the food here was really bad and that he shouldn't eat out anymore. It was not even as good as the canteen in the space.
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