Chapter 5 Cleaning: Shall we move in tonight?
"Sleep alone?" Qin Zihang was stunned. He wanted to sleep with his mother and hadn't thought about sleeping alone.
“You have a separate room, a room for one, a room that belongs to you,” Qin Yizhou said. Even after he and his wife got their marriage certificate, they rarely shared a bed. Their son was already so big; if their son were still in the room, Qin Yizhou thought he could just listen to his son calling “Mommy” over there.
When Qin Yizhou said this, he deliberately glanced at Song Fenglan a few times.
Song Fenglan didn't insist that her son share a room with her. As children grow older, they do need to have their own rooms. However, since they had just arrived, there was no rush to have their son sleep in a separate room.
"Mom." Qin Zihang turned to look at his mother, looking a little aggrieved. He thought for a while, but still wanted to sleep with his mother more.
"Aren't you a little man?" Qin Yizhou asked.
"yes……"
"and you……"
"We'll talk about it in a few days." Song Fenglan couldn't bear to see her son suffer. "He's only been here a short time and he's not used to it yet. We'll have to wait a bit."
"Then let's wait a few days." Qin Yizhou realized he was being too hasty. His wife and son had just arrived, and it was unrealistic to expect his son to sleep alone so soon. "Let him get used to it."
Since it was an unfamiliar place, Qin Yizhou didn't want his son to cry and make a fuss at night, otherwise they wouldn't be able to get a good rest, which would be undesirable.
After breakfast, Song Fenglan and her son went with Qin Yizhou to clean the yard. When they arrived, they happened to see the plump woman next door. The plump woman was hanging out laundry, and she was stunned to see Song Fenglan and her family of three.
That's really strange!
The portly woman assumed that Song Fenglan and her family of three were going to live in a tenement building, but she never expected that the family of three would move in next door. The houses next door had been empty for a long time; no one wanted to move in, everyone preferred the tenement buildings. Even people living in single-story houses were still applying to move into tenement buildings.
Given Qin Yizhou's status and position, it would be an easy matter for his family to move into a tenement building.
The plump woman looked at Song Fenglan again. She had heard that Commander Qin's wife had some issues with her family background, and the leaders had even advised Commander Qin not to marry her. The plump woman couldn't help but wonder if Song Fenglan was worried about what others would say about her, which was why she lived in a bungalow. The plump woman herself didn't want to be talked about, which was why she lived in a bungalow.
No matter how beautiful or cultured a person is, they are still the same person, and they will still have all sorts of problems.
"Qin Regiment," the plump woman said deliberately loudly, "are you moving in next door to us?"
"Yes, we'll move next door to you." Commander Qin knew Fatty Sister-in-law; he had eaten at Zhang Chenghai's house before.
"Didn't you move into a tenement building?" the plump woman asked. "The houses here are very damp; most people can't stand it."
Rather than waiting until you can't stand it anymore and have to move to a tenement building, it's better to go now. Going back and forth will only cause people to gossip.
The fat woman looked at Song Fenglan through the fence. As soon as she saw Song Fenglan, she thought that Song Fenglan was delicate and gentle. Could such a person get used to such a bungalow?
"I'm not an ordinary person, I'm a superman!" Xiao Qin Zihang patted his chest and said, "A super amazing person."
Song Fenglan smiled as she watched her son's little actions. "We'll stay here. It's not bad here."
"If you... if you like it, then you can stay." In the end, the fat woman didn't say anything else. If she said anything more, it would be easy for people to think that she had a problem with Song Fenglan.
Actually, Fatty Sister didn't have a problem with Song Fenglan; it's just that she's the kind of person who speaks her mind without much consideration, which leads many people to dislike her. They think Fatty Sister is too rough around the edges, lacks tact, and has a loose tongue, saying whatever comes to mind, even when she means well, she can say the most hurtful things.
Song Fenglan had only just met Fatty Sister-in-law, so naturally she couldn't talk to her much; she had to clean up first.
It's hot, so rinsing things helps them dry quickly.
There were already some things in the room, like tables and chairs, which were still usable. There was a wooden bed and wooden planks; all of those needed washing. Replacing everything with new things wouldn't be appropriate; it would easily draw criticism.
Although the policies have changed, it will still take a few years before things get better. For now, we should be more careful and try to minimize trouble. The bed boards and other furniture need to be washed thoroughly and sun-dried. We also need to buy pots, pans, straw mats, blankets, and other similar items.
Song Fenglan also brought her and her son's luggage, thinking that if possible, they could stay here tonight.
The southern part of the city is mountainous, and these houses are located beside the mountains. Getting to the city center from here is relatively convenient, as there are buses, although they don't run all the time. If you want to get there faster, you'll need to take a connecting bus.
"Let's wash the bed boards first and tidy up the room," Song Fenglan said. "We can take our time tidying up the other places. We also need to buy straw mats and blankets."
"I'll call someone to send it over." Qin Yizhou paused for a moment. "Or do you want to go and see for yourself?"
“No need,” Song Fenglan said. “It’s for use in the room, not outside. Whether it looks good or not is secondary. The important thing is that it’s comfortable to sleep in. If you can have it delivered, then have it delivered. It’s good that we can tidy up the room a bit more.”
Song Fenglan wanted to hang out the clothes she had washed yesterday to dry, but she had neither a clothes hanger nor a pole, making it difficult to do so. Just then, Sister Pang came over carrying two bamboo poles.
"I cut these bamboo poles a few days ago, they're still new," the plump woman explained. "They just don't have bamboo forks, it would be much easier to use them if they had bamboo forks. Now, you can put the bamboo poles on the fence, and on the other side, either on the window or on the tree next to it, you can use them to dry your clothes."
Fat Sister was afraid Song Fenglan would find it distasteful, so many people liked to use iron poles or similar objects to hang clothes directly on. Those people said bamboo poles were of varying sizes, making it difficult to hang clothes on them, and that bamboo poles would crack if exposed to direct sunlight. Some even said bamboo was prone to insects, and that Fat Sister, being from the countryside, was indeed very frugal.
"Perfect timing," Song Fenglan said with a smile. "I was just worried about having nothing to dry my clothes. Yizhou, Qin Yizhou."
Song Fenglan turned to look at Qin Yizhou, who was carrying planks into the yard. She took the two bamboo poles from the portly woman, but before she could carry them for long, Qin Yizhou came over and took them from her. Qin Yizhou set the bamboo poles aside with clean and efficient movements.
There are water taps in this bungalow area, which is quite convenient.
Previously, Fatty would go to the water tap downstairs in the tenement building to wash blankets and other things, since there were many people there and she could talk to them. Fatty would often carry a basin full of clothes there to wash clothes. She had some vegetables planted in her yard, and there were also bamboo poles for drying clothes. She would wash clothes there and then bring the washed clothes over to dry.
"Thank you," Song Fenglan said to the plump woman.
"It's nothing. There's plenty of bamboo here. If you find the right spot, you can get not just two bamboo poles, but three or four. The bamboo poles for drying clothes need to be long and thin so that the clothes hangers can be hung properly..." The plump woman realized she had said too much and that others might not want to listen, so she added, "Are you moving in today?"
“Yes, I’ll stay here today,” Song Fenglan replied. “The weather is nice today, so the washed wooden planks just need to be dried in the sun.”
"It's quite hot today," said the plump woman. "You guys are busy, I'll go back first."
"Okay, thank you." Song Fenglan waved to her son.
Qin Zihang reached Song Fenglan's side and then said to the plump woman, "Thank you, Auntie."
"No need to be so polite, no need to be so polite," the plump woman said with a smile. "My family has two..."
"That mischievous monkey, we can play together then."
The plump woman glanced at Qin Zihang again, comparing him to other children and then to her own. Her heart clenched; if only her son were so polite, obedient, and sensible. But children need to be a little mischievous; so be it, she thought as she walked.
Song Fenglan hung the clothes she had washed yesterday on a bamboo pole to dry. Since there were no hangers, she simply hung them on the pole. It was hot, and she couldn't keep the clothes in her bag for too long; they would get sour.
Qin Zihang wanted to get the clothes that weren't dry, but Song Fenglan wouldn't let her son.
The yard was overgrown with weeds, some of which were half a person tall. Who knew what might be hiding among these weeds? And with the mountain nearby, Song Fenglan didn't dare let her son get too close to them.
"Mom." Qin Zihang looked at his mother with pleading eyes; he wanted to help her.
“After your father has weeded, you can help your mother.” Song Fenglan could tell what her son was thinking at a glance.
"Wash the bed board first, then I'll go borrow a hoe to clear the weeds later," Qin Yizhou said.
"Can't I pull it?" Qin Zihang squatted down to pull the weeds, but instead of pulling them up, he tripped and fell on his bottom.
"Be careful." Song Fenglan quickly stepped forward to help her son up, gently patting his clothes. "This grass is very resilient. Grass that tall must have roots that are deeply embedded in the soil. How can you, a little kid, pull it out?"
"I'm a man, Dad said so." Qin Zihang's voice was soft and sweet. He thought he could manage, but then he fell down. Qin Zihang rubbed his little bottom, "It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt."
It wasn't that it didn't hurt, but Qin Zihang wanted to be a man and was afraid his father would laugh at him, so he couldn't. It was just a little pain, just a tiny bit, Qin Zihang pursed his lips, enduring that little bit of pain; he wouldn't cry.
"You can be a man again tomorrow." Song Fenglan chuckled, reaching out to pinch her son's chubby little face. "Today, let your dad show you whether he's a bad dad or a good dad."
"Alright then." Qin Zihang looked down at his fingers, and secretly glanced at his father who was washing the bed board. "Let Dad be a good dad. I'm still a man."
“Okay, yes, you’re a man.” Song Fenglan said. She looked at her son’s hands again to make sure they weren’t cut by the grass, and then added, “You’re a good helper to your mother, a strong man.”
"Yes, that's right." Qin Zihang nodded vigorously. "Mom, can we still have meat buns later?"
"Ask your father," Song Fenglan said. Her cooking skills were poor; if she cooked for herself, the dishes were either too salty or burnt. Soup was a little better, though. One of the reasons Song Fenglan stayed with her aunt was because her aunt was a good cook, so she didn't have to cook for herself.
"Dad, can I have meat buns?" Qin Zihang asked expectantly.
"Yes," Qin Yizhou said. "Not just meat buns, but also braised pork."
Qin Yizhou didn't expect Song Fenglan to cook. Long before they got their marriage certificate, Song Fenglan had said that she wasn't a good cook. Qin Yizhou remembered this and didn't think about having Song Fenglan learn to cook. The family canteen could serve food, so they didn't have to cook for themselves.
"Yay!" Qin Zihang clapped his hands with joy.
That's how kids are; they get so happy when they have something delicious to eat.
The plump woman next door saw Song Fenglan standing by with her child through the fence, not helping at all, while Qin Yizhou was diligently washing the bed. The plump woman thought that if she stood there doing nothing, her husband would start to complain.
Commander Qin, such a formidable figure, was actually washing bed boards over there. Tsk tsk tsk, Fatty Sister thought to herself that she had underestimated Song Fenglan. Commander Qin's wife was truly amazing.
"Mom!" The fat woman's youngest son ran into the yard. "Mom, I want some candy."
"All you do is eat candy all day long, where do you get so much candy to eat?" said the plump woman.
"Are the new neighbors going to give out candy?" Fat Sister's youngest son asked in a loud voice, and Song Fenglan from next door heard what the child said.
The fat woman quickly led her youngest son into the house, not daring to let him continue saying those things in the yard.
When neighbors came to stay, they gave out some candy. The children remembered this and wondered if the new neighbors would also give out candy.
"Don't talk nonsense." Once they got to the living room, the plump woman lowered her voice and said, "You're such a glutton. There are still some peach shortbreads at home. Here, have one."
Fatty wasn't sure if Song Fenglan's family had overheard anything, and she was afraid people would misunderstand and think they wanted the candy. Fatty didn't mean it that way; whether the new neighbors gave her anything or not was fine, they had just moved in and still had things to do.
In the yard, Qin Zihang looked up at his mother and asked, "Mom, should we give them some candy?"
"What do you think?" Song Fenglan asked.
"I...I have candy," Qin Zihang said. He had hidden a few candies, which he himself was reluctant to eat.
“Your few candies aren’t enough,” Song Fenglan said. “Later, I’ll have your dad buy some candies to share with them.”
"Can I secretly save a few?" Qin Zihang asked, "My candies are all melting."
“Keep your own things openly and honestly, don’t keep them secretly,” Song Fenglan said. “Don’t keep too much, or you’ll get rotten teeth.”
Just as Song Fenglan and her son were talking about the candy, the sound of a child crying loudly came from next door.
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