"If you don't have enough to eat, just buy some pigeons at the pigeon market."
"I didn't know you could buy grain at Pigeon Market. I thought you could only buy meat, chicken, and eggs."
Li Chu glanced at Ding Qiunan with some surprise. Didn't she know this? Then he suddenly realized that it wasn't surprising that his wife didn't know. Her family had never lacked food before. All four of them had their own rations, and even if there wasn't enough, her father would take care of it. She had never worried about it.
He explained to his wife, "There are plenty of things you can buy. Even those tickets are being resold. But if you're just buying grain, even if you get caught, you'll only get a reprimand and your things will be confiscated. But if you get caught reselling tickets, that'll be a real problem; you'll go to jail."
"Li Chu, you're not going to Pigeon City, are you?" Ding Qiunan asked her husband when she heard that he was going to be arrested and imprisoned.
“Why would I go there? We don’t need anything. I’ve never been there before; I’ve only heard about it from others.”
The two sat there and talked for a while, then washed up and went upstairs to sleep.
The next day, Li Chu was still thinking about his idea from the night before. After arriving at the hospital, he went to the surgical ward and got some cotton rolls. He tried them out, and they worked quite well; four layers were enough. This made things much more convenient; he could just throw them away when they got dirty. The only problem was that they wouldn't stick to the surface, which was a bit of a headache for Li Chu. Oh well, he'd let his wife figure it out herself; he didn't need these things anyway, and he really couldn't think of a solution.
These cotton rolls are a bit pricey, costing one yuan per roll. Even then, it's only because Li Chu is a doctor at the hospital; they don't sell them to outsiders. Li Chu bought ten rolls, enough for a while. He couldn't tell his wife how much it cost when he got home, or he'd get a lecture.
As the weather gets colder, more and more people are coming to see the doctor. He even participated in two consultations at the internal medicine department. Now, whenever Li Chu is available for in-hospital consultations at the Traditional Chinese Medicine department, Director Liang basically sends him, leaving the other doctors with some free time. Li Chu is practically becoming a pillar of their department.
Near the end of the workday in the afternoon, Li Qin came over, called him out, and gave him all the land deeds, house deeds, and several keys to the courtyard.
“You can tell that rich guy to start working now. If you need anything, just go to your brother-in-law. Make sure to keep the land deed and house deed safe. If you lose them, it will be a huge hassle to get replacements,” Li Qin told him.
Li Chu held the two pieces of paper, her face beaming with joy: "Sister, you're such a good sister, I love you to death."
"Go away, what nonsense are you talking about?" His sister slapped him. "Alright, you can enjoy yourself. I'm leaving. When you're free, take Qiu Nan over for dinner."
"Sister, why are you in such a hurry to leave? Come in, sit down, and have a glass of water."
Li Qin didn't stop, she just pushed her bicycle and left: "I'm not going to ride anymore, it's so late, I'm going straight back. Remember, bring Qiu Nan over sometime."
"Listen, sis, drive carefully."
Li Chu carefully put the two pieces of paper into his pocket. He would show them to Qiu Nan when he got back, and then put them away in his spatial storage.
Time flies, and it's already Lunar New Year's Eve.
Early in the morning, Ding Qiunan, wearing a cotton overcoat and a cotton hat, prepared to leave for work.
Li Chu followed behind her, repeatedly reminding her to ride slowly and be careful on the road. A couple of days ago, Ding Qiunan fell off her bike, but luckily she was wearing thick winter clothes and was fine. Even so, Li Chu was heartbroken. These past two days, whenever Ding Qiunan rode her bike, he would follow her around giving her instructions. Ding Qiunan was both touched and felt that he was being too nagging.
Li Chu stood at the courtyard gate watching his wife walk away before preparing to go inside. "Xiao Hei, you're back." Now, whenever Ding Qiunan goes out, Xiao Hei chases after her bicycle, only returning when it reaches the alley entrance. Every day when Li Chu goes to work, he still keeps Xiao Hei locked up at home, letting it out after get off work. Once released, Xiao Hei runs to the courtyard gate and waits until Ding Qiunan returns from get off work before following her back.
After returning home and getting ready, Li Chu leisurely walked to work. He now mostly walks to work, too lazy to ride a bicycle.
Upon arriving at the office, Dr. Luo said to him as soon as he entered, "Dr. Li, I'm going out to buy something later. If Director Liang comes over, please let him know."
Li Chu nodded: "Okay, go ahead."
Dr. Luo passed his performance review last November and his salary increased. Now things are much better for his family, and he can afford to buy some New Year's goods for them.
Li Chu passed his assessment smoothly, and his salary has increased to 92 yuan. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he probably won't get a raise for several years.
Construction has started on the new courtyard as well; they've only just begun digging trenches and laying pipes. This time, things must be done properly, at least so we won't have to run outside to use the toilet anymore. As for the house, Li Chu has some new ideas. He plans to discuss them with Boss Fu after the New Year to see if his ideas can be implemented.
Li Chu is very satisfied with his current life, but his sister Li Qin is very dissatisfied. They have been married for almost half a year and there is still no sign of marriage. Every time Li Qin sees him, she nags him for a long time, which makes him afraid to see his sister now.
He wanted to wait a while before having children. Ding Qiunan took the medicine he prescribed, and her physical condition improved rapidly. Now she could actually go at it with him for several rounds, and their sex life became more and more harmonious.
As Li Chu sat in his chair humming a tune and lost in thought, the office door was pushed open. Li Chu looked into the doorway and stood up in surprise: "Brother Zhang, when did you get back?" The person who came in was Zhang Meng, the bodyguard of Li Chu's Uncle Wang, who had been with Uncle Wang for almost 20 years.
"We only arrived last night."
"Have Uncle Wang and Aunt Wang returned?"
“You’re back. I came here today because the commander told me to tell you that you must come to my house for dinner tonight, and bring your wife. If you don’t go, he’ll send someone to arrest you. That’s what the commander said. I’m just here to relay the message. I’ll also be going to see your sister later,” Zhang Meng said with a smile.
"Okay, Brother Zhang, when you get back, tell Uncle Wang that I'll definitely be there tonight."
"Not only are you sure you'll be there tonight, but you'll also be bringing your wife."
"Absolutely, I'll definitely bring it."
"That's settled then, I'm leaving." Zhang Meng finished delivering the instructions and prepared to go.
"Brother Zhang, won't you sit here for a while?"
"I'm not going to sit here anymore. I still need to go to your sister's place. After that, I need to check if the commander needs anything. I'm going out to buy some things." After saying that, he walked out of the office, got into the jeep parked in the yard, and Li Chu followed him out. He saw Zhang Meng waving to him from the car and then driving away.
Zhang Meng really has the style of a soldier; he's decisive and efficient, never dragging his feet in his words or deeds.
"Oh, I'm going to have a decent meal tonight! I don't have to be so restricted in the yard anymore, not daring to eat this or that." Li Chu hummed a little tune happily as he walked into the office.
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