After the Lunar New Year, the Song family enjoyed a period of peace and quiet. Without going to work or school, the children ran around the house, and the sisters-in-law sat together chatting. Life was very comfortable.
It snowed a few more times later, but because we had a kang, no one felt too cold.
Before the New Year, every household in the brigade had a kang (fired bed), but now almost every room has one. The first kang was built for the elderly and children, but now they can sleep on it.
The first time they lay on the kang, they felt truly comfortable, not cold at all. Thinking back to previous winters, they were never as comfortable as they are now. Having cold hands and feet was fine, but in severe cases, they would develop frostbite, which would be unbearable once the weather got hot.
It was snowing outside, so Feng Guizhi stayed inside, sitting on the warm kang sewing clothes. The children at home had been cooped up for a few days, and since the snow wasn't heavy, they ran outside and started making snowmen.
Boyu and Wenjie built a big snowman as tall as themselves, and Yuanbao built a turtle next to it. However, he wanted to build a turtle, but after it was built, it didn’t look like a turtle at all. Instead, it looked more like a tortoise.
"Yuanbao, is this the Xiaoba pile you have?" Yun Duo asked after coming closer and taking a few looks.
Xiao Ba, the turtle that bit Yuan Bao's hand before, is still being kept in the water tank.
Although Yuanbao originally wanted to make a turtle, after hearing what Yunduo said, he felt a little embarrassed and tilted his neck and said, "Yes, I... I just made a small eight."
Baoya and Tianen over there were also making snowmen with their little butts sticking out, but they couldn't figure out what to make, so they just made several small snowmen.
"Sister Xiaobao, Fifth Brother, are you making a snowman like this?" Yuanbao ran over and asked.
"This is made by... me... us. This one is me, this one is... my big brother... and this one is Xiaobao's sister... her sister..." Tian'en pointed to a row of little snowmen in front of him and introduced them to Yuanbao.
"What about me? What about me? Which one am I?" Yuanbao found it very interesting and hurried to find out which one he was.
Tian En scratched his head a little embarrassedly: "This...this is you. It's not...ready yet. It will be...ready soon."
Tian En was referring to a snowman that had just been built. Yuan Bao immediately squatted down and wanted to join Tian En and Bao Ya in the snowman.
Pile himself out.
Playing around like this, the day passed quickly.
Two days later, seeing that the sky had cleared and the roads were dry, Yang Yulan said she wanted to go back to her parents' home. She was supposed to go back on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, but it snowed, so she was delayed. Now that the sky had cleared, she brought it up again.
Of course Song Jianye agreed, and quickly packed up his things. Song Jianye rode his bike and took the three of them back to his mother's home.
On the way, Yang Yulan bought some fruits, peanuts and the like. Coincidentally, there was someone selling pork, so she bought another pound of pork and then went all the way to the destination.
Yang Guozhong and his mother were at home at the moment. They were so happy to see them that their faces were full of smiles.
"I've been telling your father these past two days that it's time for you to come, and sure enough you're here today. The road shouldn't be difficult to walk on, right?" Yang's mother said, taking the things from Yang Yulan's hand.
"It's not difficult to walk. The ground is dry and the journey is smooth." Song Jianye smiled and replied to his mother-in-law while pushing the 28-inch bicycle.
"It's good that it's not difficult to walk. Come into the house and sit down for a while." As Yang's mother saw the things Yang Yulan brought in her hand, she looked up and scolded her disapprovingly:
"Didn't I tell you not to bring so much stuff? Why did you buy so much and even cut up some pork? We have everything at home, no need to buy anything."
"I didn't buy anything." Yang Yulan knew that her mother didn't want her to spend money, so she replied with a gentle smile.
The shopping had already been done, and Mother Yang could no longer say anything. She could only glare at Yang Yulan in reproach. She turned to look at Baoya and Tianen, and her expression immediately changed into a kind smile.
"Baoya, Tianen is here, do you miss grandma and grandpa?"
The two little ones lowered their heads and said shyly: "I want to~"
Upon hearing this, Yang's mother's eyes narrowed with joy: "You are such a good grandson~"
The Yang family still has no grandchildren, so of course they love their two grandsons. However, think about it, Wang Mengjiao will give birth in a few months, and then her life will not be boring anymore, as she can take care of her grandchildren every day. Just thinking about it makes Yang's mother very happy, after all, she has been looking forward to this grandson for two years.
The whole family went into the house, and Yang Guozhong also came out. He was very happy to see them. Hearing the noise outside, Wang Mengjiao opened the door and the two of them came out together.
"Is it my second sister?" Yang Yugui said with a smile when he saw her.
"Yeah." Yang Yulan responded with a smile
With a sound, he walked forward two steps and then Yang Yugui came over with Wang Mengjiao.
It has been almost six months. The last time I came back, it wasn’t very noticeable, but now Wang Mengjiao’s belly has bulged like a ball.
"Second sister, second brother-in-law." Wang Mengjiao slowly sat down on the chair with her hands on her belly, and called out to the two of them with a smile as a greeting.
I don’t know if it’s because of the pregnancy, but the expression on Wang Mengjiao’s face and her temperament have become softer, and she really looks like a mother.
"How is it? Is the reaction severe?" Yang Yulan was an experienced person after all, and knew the hardships of pregnancy, so she asked softly.
"It was terrible in the first two months. I couldn't eat anything and would vomit if I ate. Now it's better." Wang Mengjiao looked down at her stomach and replied.
"I'm just greedy sometimes." Yang Yugui, who was listening from the side, added with a smile behind her.
Wang Mengjiao turned her head and glared at him, then retorted dissatisfiedly, "It's not me who wants to eat it, it's your daughter who wants to eat it."
"Okay, okay, it's my daughter who wants to eat. I can only trouble you to eat more for her."
Yang Yulan and Song Jianye both smiled when they saw this, but they were also a little bit puzzled as to why they said the baby was a girl.
At this time, Yang's mother spoke up to explain their doubts: "Mengjiao said she dreamed of a baby, a very cute girl. Plus, we all liked Baoya, so we thought it would be great if this one was a girl. They kept calling her daughter every day."
Baoya, who was called, didn't understand what was meant. She blinked her big eyes and looked at Yang's mother. Seeing that Yang's mother was also looking at her, she smiled at her with her eyes curved.
When Yang's mother saw Baoya's well-behaved appearance, her heart softened as cotton. She bent down, hugged Baoya, and touched her head lovingly.
Wang Mengjiao looked down at her belly and said, "My daughter, look at your sister Baoya more often. In the future, you should grow up like your sister Baoya, okay? She is fair and tender, well-behaved and sensible."
Everyone in the room laughed.
After chatting for a while, Yang's mother and Yang Yulan prepared to go into the kitchen to cook. Yang's mother first called Yang Yugui to send Wang Mengjiao back to the house: "Go back to bed quickly, it's cold outside. I'll call you when the meal is ready."
Yang Yugui nodded in agreement, then helped Wang Mengjiao back into the house.
Mother Yang and Yang Yulan went out to the kitchen together. Before leaving, Yang Yulan said to Song Jianye
Said: "Jianye, you can talk to Dad and Yugui about the kang later."
There was no Xu Zhijin in the brigade here, let alone a kang, so this winter was just as cold for them, or even colder than in previous years. Especially now that Wang Mengjiao was pregnant, life would have been much easier if she had a kang.
Yang Yulan didn't tell Song Jianye that he also had this plan. After nodding in agreement, she told Yang Guozhong and Yang Yugui about the kang.
"A fire bed? There's such a thing?"
"You can modify the stove and use it as a bed?"
However, Yang Yugui was a little worried, so he didn't hide it and asked Song Jianye directly: "If there's a fire downstairs, will it be dangerous?"
After all, Wang Mengjiao is pregnant now, her belly is getting bigger and bigger, and it is not convenient for her to move, so she has to be careful about everything. Otherwise, if something really happens, it will be too late to regret it.
Song Jianye explained it to him again in detail: "There's an insulation layer made of adobe inside... and it's also... so as long as you fill it with firewood and seal the hole, there won't be any danger."
He paused and continued, "Or if you're really worried, just burn wood inside. That way the fire will be more stable and safer."
"Every household in our brigade has installed it, and it is indeed warm. However, if you are really worried, it is okay not to install it." Song Jianye could understand Yang Yugui's concerns. After all, it was the first time he heard of this thing, and Wang Mengjiao was pregnant, so it was right to give it more consideration.
Yang Guozhong thought about it carefully twice and felt that it was feasible. He was always impatient, so he said, "Jianye, you mean we only need those few things to build it? If so, we already have them at home. If you are willing, let's start building it now."
Yang Yugui's concerns were not wrong. Yang Guozhong thought that in this case, it would be better to build one in their house first to try it out. If it seemed to be ok, then he would build a kang in their house as well.
Of course Song Jianye would not refuse, and the three men immediately started to busy themselves in and out.
When the food was served, the three of them were still busy in the house and had not come out. Mother Yang did not understand why and went to call them out to eat. When she entered, she found that her house had changed a lot. There was a brick in the corner of the wall, and she did not know what it was for.
"What are you doing here?"
Seeing that Yang's mother had come to call him, Yang Guozhong stood up and clapped his hands, saying, "First,
Let’s eat, and then we can work.”
After everyone was seated at the table, Yang's mother asked again, "Old man, what are you doing with your son and son-in-law? You can't even sit idle during Chinese New Year. Jianye just came all the way here, and not only don't you let them rest, you're also forcing them to work. Is there any father-in-law like you?"
Song Jianye quickly spoke up for Yang Guozhong: "Mom, no, it was me who suggested building the kang, and Dad accompanied me in doing it."
"Heat bed?"
Song Jianye explained the matter of the kang to Yang's mother again, and Yang Yulan also added a few words.
"Is there such a thing? If we have a kang, won't it be less cold in winter?" Yang's mother asked in a daze.
Tian'en heard this and started talking too: "Grandma...Grandpa, sleeping on the...the kang at night is so...so warm!"
Baoya also nodded and said softly, "It's not cold at all~"
"Okay, then I'll help you later. Let's see what it feels like to sleep on this kang."
After a happy meal, the three men started to work again. After all, Song Jianye had to go home in the evening, so the kang had to be prepared quickly.
By around 4 or 5 in the afternoon, the base of the kang was ready. Song Jianye explained in detail what to do next. The operation was not difficult, so the two of them took note and did it themselves.
On the third day, Yang Guozhong felt that it was almost done, so he put firewood in and started burning it.
When she went to bed at night, Yang's mother was surprised. She felt the warm quilt and felt warm as soon as she lay down. She was not cold at all. The next day, Yang's mother slept in for a rare sleep.
This kang is really nice.
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