"Then what?"
The old man spread his hands and said, "What future is there? When the girl heard Zhu Zi say that, she immediately said she wouldn't marry him. Her parents also said they wouldn't marry their daughter to him."
"Of course I can't marry him. How can I expect to have a good life if I marry someone like that?"
"That's right, and then Zhu Zi got angry and started yelling at people. The old lady couldn't stop him even if she tried!"
"He said the wrong thing, why is he scolding him?" He Yuzhu's unpredictable behavior left Li Chu completely bewildered.
The third uncle said, "Zhu Zi cursed the whole family as liars, saying, 'Why did you send us here if you're not going to marry off your daughter? Your family is just trying to cheat me out of my dowry.' He even tried to hit them, but the girl and her father grabbed him and threw him out, along with the dowry he brought. They even kicked the old lady out as well."
"Is the old lady in the backyard alright?"
"The old lady was just angry, so angry that her chest hurt, but it was nothing serious."
"The matchmaker, Aunt Wang, was also scolded by the woman's family, which made her so angry that she ran to the door of Zhu Zi's house and jumped up and down cursing."
"It made the old man so angry that he went to Zhuzi's house to yell at him. Later, Zhuzi probably realized he had said the wrong thing." The third old man pointed his chin toward the courtyard: "Look, he's still sulking at home."
After hearing this, Li Chu felt he'd had too much gossip to handle. Who on earth is this guy? His dad was right when he called him "Silly Pillar" back then!
Li Chu sighed, "Sigh, who would dare to introduce a partner to He Yuzhu in the future!" Suddenly, he thought: "This is probably one of the reasons why Sha Zhu in the TV series can't find a partner. Who would dare to marry their daughter to him?"
Just then, an old man came out of the courtyard and came over when he saw Li Chu: "Little Chu, have you finished cleaning your house?"
"Alright, sir, are you out for a stroll after your meal?"
The three of them started chatting, and the topic of He Yuzhu came up again. An old man sighed and said, "Sigh, that boy Zhu is such a headache. He's made the old lady so angry that she doesn't want to talk to him for days."
Li Chu smiled and changed the subject. He had already finished talking about He Yuzhu, so he didn't want to mention him anymore.
After chatting about other things for a while, Li Chu went back to his dormitory.
When the weekend arrived, Li Chu got up early. He was going to the trust store to see if there was any furniture he liked; it was time to move back, and staying in the dormitory all the time wasn't a good idea.
I strolled out, ate a bowl of braised pork first, and then wandered over to the entrance of the trust store.
This trust shop is similar to the pawnshops of the past, buying and selling or consigning valuable second-hand items. The only difference from the pawnshop is that this one is state-owned.
They sell all sorts of things there: furniture, bicycles, watches, cameras, phonographs, and even clothes and bedding—all secondhand items.
The next one or two decades will be the golden age for trust stores. In those days, people's wages are low, and most importantly, you need coupons to buy things in department stores and supply and marketing cooperatives. Sometimes, even if you have money, you still can't buy things without coupons.
The items in the trust store were all secondhand, cheap, and didn't require coupons, so they were very popular with ordinary people, and the business was booming.
Stepping into the trust store, he found it to be quite spacious with numerous counters. It sold everything imaginable, including pots, pans, and other kitchenware.
Li Chu went straight to the furniture section at the back. When he got there, he was immediately overwhelmed by the sights. He had learned how to identify antiques from his master, and he also recognized the types of wood.
The furniture displayed here includes rosewood, padauk, and red sandalwood—you name it.
I stopped in front of a well-preserved octagonal table with outstretched legs. It was made of rosewood. I squatted down to examine it. The table was carved with cloud patterns around its edges, and above the cloud patterns were five bats. The craftsmanship was excellent. It was a fine piece. I looked next to the table, but unfortunately, the matching armchair was missing. However, the table would be great as a dining table.
After spending a long time choosing, they matched four official hat chairs. These four chairs are a set, also made of rosewood, and they look quite good together with the table.
I turned around and asked the salesperson behind the counter how much it cost. The salesperson craned her neck to look and said, "The table is 8 yuan, and the chairs are 2 yuan each."
Wow, that's not cheap. I'll make a note of it and buy it all at once later.
After some careful selection, I bought almost all the furniture I needed, all of which was made of rosewood.
A desk for 5 yuan, a bookshelf for 3 yuan, a wardrobe for 10 yuan, a chest of drawers for 8 yuan, and a dressing table for my future wife, also made of rosewood, for 5 yuan. Finally, I bought two rosewood chests, which can hold bedding in the summer, for 2 yuan each.
There was no suitable sofa, so I asked the salesperson, who told me that the Trust Store near Xizhimen should have one.
The final bill came to 51 yuan. I got the receipt and paid. Not cheap at all.
There was too much furniture, so we found three porters at the door to help us move it back. They charged each of us two cents for moving and hauling the goods.
Looking at the pile of rosewood furniture on the cart, Li Chu thought, "How much will this stuff be worth in a few decades?"
After returning home, there was another flurry of activity, and the house was finally no longer empty. Looking at the neatly arranged furniture in the living room, study, and upstairs bedroom, hmm, it had a bit of that old landlord's feel to it.
Without wasting any time, I got up and went out again, taking a bus straight to Xizhimen. I only had one day off, so I had to make the most of it!
It wasn't a wasted trip; I bought the sofa and coffee table. The sofa is a set, one three-seater and two single-seaters. I'll need to make cushions for the sofa when I get back, but I don't know if I can still get foam for it now.
We called two deliverymen, and this time it cost more; we had to pay 60 cents per person before they agreed to deliver.
After returning home and setting everything up, I wiped all the furniture I bought clean with a cloth. Then I went to the kitchen and took out all the pots, pans, and cabinets that I had put in the room during the move. I organized them neatly, as I still need to get a big pot for the stove later.
Now that I look at it again, it finally feels like a home.
I checked my watch; it was already past four in the afternoon. No wonder I was so hungry.
Go out, eat out, then go back to the dormitory to pack up and move back in.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com