"It was a quick and easy thing. I was just eating and resting, and it was kind of boring without anyone to talk to, so I came to find you, Sister Liu."
As Yang Yufen spoke, she followed Aunt Liu into the house.
Aunt Liu got married and had children early, while Yang Yufen married and had children late. She was too tall, which most men didn't like. They were born in the same year, less than a month apart.
“That’s great. I’m usually all alone here. Our little courtyard isn’t as lively as the old tenement buildings. My husband and daughter-in-law are either in the military or at a research institute. They’re always out early and back late. Sometimes you can’t even see them. When they’re busy, they might not come home for days. Luckily, I have my two kids to keep things lively.”
Upon hearing this, Yang Yufen's gaze fell upon the small stool in the room, and she immediately knew which one was the problem.
"Is this the stool? Just carve a piece of wood and wed it in. It's simple. Are they that busy at the research institute? They haven't been back for days. Niannian also said she's busy and won't be back for lunch."
Yang Yufen picked up the stool, took out a piece of wood from her pocket, gestured with it, and started whittling it with a knife.
“They often do this throughout the year, and Xiao Qin’s mentor is the dean, so he is even busier.”
As she spoke, Aunt Liu suddenly realized that she had said something wrong and was just about to make amends.
"That must have been tough. No wonder you're so thin. I should have brought the rooster with me instead of selling it. Luckily, we managed to get some meat today."
After Yang Yufen finished speaking, she tapped the door a few times to make sure it was stable, then used a knife to trim off the excess and sharpened it to make sure there were no splinters.
"alright."
"You have such a good personality, Xiao Qin is so lucky to have a mother-in-law like you."
Aunt Liu was stunned for a moment, then laughed.
“My son is so lucky to have married Niannian. Niannian is beautiful and capable. What man goes on a mission right after getting married and disappears? He's been in the army for years and hasn't even come home. I'll just consider it a gift to the army.”
After Yang Yufen finished speaking, she handed the stool to Aunt Liu.
"Hey little sister, take a look."
"Wow, that was fast! That's amazing."
Aunt Liu picked up the small stool and shook it; it was very stable.
"I'll go back and tidy up the land a bit more. Once the land is ready, I need to plant the vegetables as soon as possible."
"You can't sit still. If you plant vegetable seeds now, it will be too late to harvest. I have some vegetable seedlings here. Wait a minute, I'll take you to Wang Damei's place. She likes to grow vegetables and has more seedlings than others, so she can harvest her autumn vegetables in time."
"I'm so sorry, I'll go get two eggs. Luckily, I brought three hens with me."
As Yang Yufen spoke, she walked quickly, took the eggs and slung the basket over her shoulder, and went with Aunt Liu to Aunt Wang's house, which wasn't far.
"Sister Wang, do you have any extra vegetable seedlings?"
Before Yang Yufen even entered the gate, she saw the plants climbing all over the fence. When she went inside, she was even more amazed. There were huge bunches of grapes, deep purple-red, looking very tempting.
"Yes, I'm in the backyard, come on over."
Walking in from the courtyard gate, the grape trellis extends to the porch in front of the main room. On one side, loofahs are planted, and on the other side, gourds are planted, all climbing up the walls. The yard is also not idle; eggplants and green beans, which are common in this season, are all there, in rows and rows.
"This courtyard is arranged very well; I'll try to copy it later."
In the corner, Yang Yufen noticed that a latrine had also been built. "Yes, I'll build one too. I'll ask how to do it later."
Go through the west side of the house, and you'll find a plot of land in the backyard where even more things are planted, along with a shed made of bamboo strips.
"I was just cleaning up the seedlings; if I don't move them soon, it will affect their growth. And who is this?"
"This is Comrade Xiao Qin's mother-in-law, Sister Yang. Comrade Xiao Qin's husband is away on a mission, so Sister Yang came to visit."
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