After finishing their meal, the two of them took Xiao Hei to the new courtyard that was under construction.
The construction of the courtyard is basically complete. The courtyard wall is higher than before, and there are glass shards on top of the wall to prevent people from climbing over it.
A peach tree, a jujube tree, and a grapevine have been transplanted into the yard. The trellis has been set up, and once the grapevines cover the trellis, we can sit under it and enjoy the shade in the summer.
The workers are currently paving the courtyard with blue bricks, taking advantage of the cooler weather after sunset.
When the eldest son of the wealthy family saw Li Chu and Ding Qiunan enter, he led them on a tour. The layout of the east and west wing rooms and the main house was all according to Li Chu's design. Each room was equipped with a toilet and a shower room. The heating pipes had also been installed, and long radiators stood in the corners.
The house is empty now, just waiting to buy furniture to fill it in.
After seeing the house, Ding Qiunan was already eager to move in.
"Aren't you scared if it's just the two of us in such a big yard?" Li Chu asked Ding Qiunan on the way back.
"With you and Xiao Hei around, I'm not scared at all. And we'll have our children in the future." After thinking for a moment, the girl continued, "When we have a baby, my mom will definitely come to help, so we'll have a place to stay."
"Okay, after we rest, we'll go buy furniture and then move."
The two chatted and laughed, dreaming about the wonderful days to come.
As the two entered the courtyard, Xu Damao happened to come out of Uncle San's house. Upon seeing Li Chu, Xu Damao walked over and said, "Brother Chu, Sister-in-law, it's good that you're back. I was just about to go to your house."
"What's wrong, Da Mao? Is something the matter?"
Xu Damao offered him a cigarette, but Li Chu shook his head and didn't take it: "I've already quit. Just tell me what's wrong."
"Oh, is that so, Brother Chu? Can I borrow your bicycle for a bit? I need to pick up my wife early the day after tomorrow."
"Hey, Damao, it's all settled?" Li Chu was a little surprised. Xu Damao had been talking about getting married for a long time, but a year had passed, and he almost thought the relationship had fallen through.
"Hey, something came up at their home and things got a little delayed, but it's been confirmed now." Xu Damao's smile was somewhat unnatural as he said this, suggesting that things weren't as simple as he made them out to be.
Li Chu didn't say much, but simply took out his bicycle key from his pocket and handed it to Xu Damao: "Take this and use it."
Xu Damao took the key: "Thank you, Brother Chu. I'll return it to you the day after tomorrow after I use it. I have some things to do, so I'll be going now."
Watching Xu Damao push his bicycle away, Li Chu shook his head slightly. When he met Chairman Lou that day, he knew that Chairman Lou didn't actually like Xu Damao; to be precise, he looked down on Xu Damao. What he couldn't understand was why Chairman Lou would still marry his daughter to Xu Damao if that was the case.
Since you've decided to marry off your daughter, why keep delaying it and not giving Xu Damao any face at all?
Upon entering the house, Ding Qiunan, who had returned first, asked, "Has Xu Damao's wedding date been set?"
"Yes, he said he's going to pick up his wife the day after tomorrow."
Ding Qiunan chuckled lightly: "Heh, he's really dragged this out for a long time. Li Chu, I've heard you mention Xu Damao's father-in-law; it seems you don't like that person."
"What does it matter whether I like it or not? We won't be dealing with each other again."
"Let's not talk about them anymore. Li Chu, can you help me with this part of the book? I don't quite understand it."
Li Chu walked over and sat down next to his wife, looking at the book in the girl's hands.
Yes, what business is it of theirs? They should just mind their own business and live their own lives.
The fan was blowing gently, and the young couple sat side by side on the sofa. One was talking earnestly, and the other was listening attentively, occasionally asking new questions.
Before going to bed that night, Li Chu took the fan upstairs. He wasn't afraid of the heat, but Ding Qiunan couldn't. The second floor of his house wasn't well-ventilated, and if the fan wasn't turned on at night, the girl would be too hot to sleep.
With the fan blowing, the girl nestled comfortably in Li Chu's arms, then suddenly blurted out, "Li Chu, do you think I can't get pregnant because we haven't been doing it enough?"
Li Chu smiled bitterly to himself. Why did this girl bring up the pregnancy again? Is she determined to get over it?
He didn't speak, but expressed his meaning through his actions.
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When I arrived at the office in the morning, I hadn't been sitting down for long when Director Liang came over and put 10 yuan and 2 jin of meat coupons on my desk.
"Director Liang, what does this mean?" Li Chu asked, looking at the money and tickets on the table.
"The hospital leadership thought your emergency report was excellent and reported it to higher authorities. This is a reward from the hospital for you."
After hearing this, Li Chu finally understood: "Thank you, Director Liang."
"Why thank me? It's not like I gave you this as a reward."
"I've been working under your leadership, Director Liang. Now that we've achieved some results, of course I have to thank you for your support," Li Chu said, offering a small compliment.
Director Liang smiled and pointed at Li Chu: "You're getting slyer and slyer."
He paused for a moment, then added, "If the higher authorities decide to adopt your suggestion, there will be a reward. I've also read your suggestion; it's very insightful and excellent."
Director Liang is becoming more and more satisfied with Li Chu. Just like what Li Chu said earlier, no matter what, he is under his leadership. The more outstanding Li Chu is, the more he benefits from it.
After saying that, Director Liang walked out: "Alright, if there's nothing else, I'll be going now. I still have a class at school." Li Chu followed him to the door to see Director Liang off.
After walking out, Director Liang stopped again, turned around and asked, "I still want to ask, would you be willing to teach at the school?"
"Director Liang, please don't flatter me. I'm too young. Even if I were willing to substitute for the class, I wouldn't be able to teach it."
Director Liang shook his head, sighed, and left without saying a word.
Watching the director walk away, Li Chu returned to his desk and sat down, picking up the money and tickets that Director Liang had just left. Ten yuan was a lot of money, but it didn't matter to him. These tickets were hard to come by these days; even his attendance system wasn't giving him as much anymore.
This year has been even more difficult. Last year, at least we could get half a catty or eight taels of meat coupons every month. This year, up to July, we have only received half a catty of meat coupons in total.
You read that right. Seven months have passed, and on average, each person received half a pound of meat coupons, less than an ounce a month.
Li Chu can still buy meat and vegetables at restaurants because the restaurant's general manager was his former patient.
He cured that manager of an illness that Western medicine deemed incurable. To express his gratitude, the manager would save food for him in the afternoon if he simply went to say hello in the morning.
Actually, he still had quite a bit of meat in his storage space—pork, beef, lamb, and chicken—but he didn't dare take it out. He could only go to restaurants every few days and secretly buy some to take back and eat.
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