Chapter 109 Warming up the House
Zhao Yi returned home from get off work and prepared to clean up the house before going to the garment factory’s staff dormitory.
Just when I was halfway through cleaning up, I heard a knock on the door.
Zhao Yi looked up and saw Zhao Laowu standing at the door carrying two buckets of water.
"Old Five is here, come in and sit down."
Zhao Yi smiled and welcomed Zhao Laowu into the house.
Zhao Laowu put down the wooden barrel and placed the backpack on the table.
"Have you eaten yet?"
Zhao Yi asked.
"Not yet."
Zhao Laowu smiled somewhat embarrassedly.
"Let's go to the state-owned restaurant and have a meal. We all have to help warm the house this evening, and dinner isn't ready at home yet."
As Zhao Yi spoke, he pulled Zhao Laowu to the state-owned restaurant and ordered a plate of braised pork, a bowl of tofu soup, and some steamed buns for Zhao Laowu.
Zhao Yi never used the meat coupons issued by the department store. His family had no shortage of meat, so these coupons were never used.
"Brother Yi, go and do your own thing. Don't worry about me. I'll be back after dinner because I have to go to work tomorrow. Su Zhiqing asked me to send those fish and loaches to you. She said that you have to pay for fish in the city, but she caught those fish herself for free."
Zhao Laowu looked at Zhao Yi and said.
"Why don't you stay at home for a night before leaving? I bought a quilt so you have a place to stay."
Zhao Yi tried to persuade him to stay.
There was no place to entertain people before.
"That's really not necessary. Brother Yi, go and do your thing."
Zhao Laowu waved his hand.
Seeing that Zhao Laowu insisted on going back, Zhao Yi stopped trying to persuade him to stay. He went back home to check on the fish that had been sent over and discovered that there were two fish in a wooden barrel. Both weighed about four or five pounds, but they were dying after staying in the barrel for so long.
The backpack was full of fried loaches, which was the method of processing that Zhao Yi and Zhang Jing taught Su Hong. She didn't expect that she could eat them ready-made now.
Zhao Yi hurriedly poured the fish into a large wooden basin, which was the large basin Zhao Yi bought for washing clothes. He placed the backpack and wooden barrel at the door, then found some hemp ropes, strung the three fish together and carried them out. After locking the door, he walked towards Director Li's house.
As soon as I went out, I met Li Chao who was coming back from get off work.
"Where did Brother Yi get the fish?"
Li Chao asked.
"I bought them in the city. I'll give one to Zhang Jing's master, one to our director, and the remaining one to eat in the evening."
Li Chao didn't know the way to the garment factory, so he followed Zhao Yi and went to Master Liu's house and Director Li's house.
Zhao Yi refused their invitation to dinner.
When we arrived at the staff dormitory of the garment factory, except for Zhang Jing who was standing downstairs looking at the purchased furniture, everyone else was busy moving the furniture to the second floor.
Zhao Yi walked over and helped move the remaining furniture upstairs. Soon the empty house became filled with the air of home.
"You two just sit there, we can do these things ourselves."
When Wu Lan saw Zhang Jing and Zhao Yi preparing to help with cooking, she quickly spoke up to stop them.
"Auntie, you are disgusted by our poor cooking skills."
Zhao Yi joked.
"How can that be possible? When you come to my house, you are a guest. How can we let you do anything? You guys take a rest. We will take care of these things."
Wu Lan said with a smile.
Zhao Yi and his wife were busy running around and didn't treat themselves as outsiders at all. They helped with everything. Zhang Jing was pregnant and couldn't help, which touched everyone in the Li family.
Soon a pot of fish soup was ready.
We have just moved into the new house and many things are not prepared yet. But just a pot of fish soup makes people upstairs and downstairs drool. After a while, someone comes to take a look and ask if we need help.
They had a clean dinner. Since they had just moved to a new house, many things were not prepared. Peng Yiju planned to invite Zhao Yi and his wife to a state-owned restaurant for dinner, but Zhao Yi came with fish, so they had to cook at home in a hurry.
There was no time to prepare anything else, so I could only steam a pot of steamed bread and make a pot of fish soup.
Although everyone was not full, they all had smiles on their faces and were very happy in their hearts.
"Tomorrow, you and your wife must come over tomorrow. We will prepare a good dinner for you. We were in such a hurry this time."
Wu Lan looked at Zhao Yi and Zhang Jing and said.
"Okay, Auntie, we'll come over tomorrow."
Zhang Jing nodded.
After everyone cleaned up the mess, they sat in the living room and chatted for two or three hours before Zhang Jing and Zhao Yi got up and prepared to leave.
Li Fang also lives in the dormitory now, and got up with Zhao Yi and the others.
The Li family members escorted Zhao Yi and Zhang Jing out of the family building, and then watched them leave.
"Xiaoyi and his wife really treat you as their friends. They have prepared everything for you. Before we had time to prepare, he came over with the fish. I know that fish in the city costs money.
You cannot be a person without conscience. In the future, when others have something to ask for, you should take the initiative. Relationships and feelings are mutual, and they can only be maintained by frequent interactions. ”
Wu Lan looked at Li Chao and Peng Yiju and said.
"Don't worry, Mom. We are not heartless people. How can we pretend not to see that others are sincere to us?"
Li Chao nodded and said.
Actually, Zhao Yi was planning to send two kilograms of smoked meat as a housewarming dish, but he happened to meet Lao Wu delivering fish to the city. It would be the same if he sent the smoked meat as a reception for Li Fang's engagement.
They didn't have many friends in the area, and they were the only ones they were close to. They were also nice people, so Zhao Yi and Zhang Jing were naturally willing to visit each other more often and help each other.
As for the three ungrateful kids who were studying in the city, Zhao Yi would not give them anything to eat.
When Zhang Jing returned home, she saw a fish in the main room and fried loaches on the table.
"This is?"
Zhang Jing looked at Zhao Yi and asked.
"It was sent by your good sister. She said she was worried that we would spend money recklessly in the city, so she asked Lao Wu to go to the city to buy things and bring them to us once a month."
Zhao Yi explained with a smile.
Hearing this, Zhang Jing immediately knew that it was sent by Su Hong.
"Did you return the gift?"
Zhang Jing asked.
"No, just tell Lao Wu the next time he comes."
Zhao Yi said with a smile.
Su Hong wanted to take care of her relatives and hoped that they could eat better. Whenever Zhao Laowu sent meat to her, Zhao Yi would ask them to give two kilograms to Su Hong.
"I sent a fish to your master, and one to Sister Li. If this one can survive until Xiaofang's engagement party, I'll send it there to save face."
Zhao Yi also told Master Zhang Jing about sending fish today.
Zhang Jing's master made three sets of cotton baby clothes and several diapers for Zhang Jing. The unborn little one now has five or six sets of clothes.
Diapers are made of cotton scraps, and there are a lot of scraps of cloth in the garment factory. Except for the retiring masters who dare to make a few diapers or insoles occasionally, ordinary people dare not touch these things in the factory.
These things are to be delivered to various supply and marketing cooperatives or department stores.
“It should be.”
Hearing Zhao Yi giving fish to his master, Zhang Jing nodded.
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