After massaging her for a while and seeing that she was sleeping more comfortably, I went to the kitchen to make paste.
Lu Ze recalled the method Yu Yao had told him, poured two bowls of water and half a bowl of glutinous rice flour into the pot, brought it to a boil over high heat, and waited for the glutinous rice flour to bubble before ladling it into a bowl.
After making the paste, Lu Ze picked up the old newspapers that the young soldier from the communications department had brought him that day and started pasting them on the walls, beginning with the main room.
Yu Yao was preoccupied with the New Year's Eve dinner. She was so tired at first that she fell asleep, but her sleep didn't go very well later. She was in a daze, and her dreams were filled with the sound of turning pages of a book, which woke her up with a start.
Looking at the familiar mosquito net above her head, Yu Yao blinked.
Is she at home?
Hearing the door open, Yu Yao turned her head to look.
Lu Ze came in carrying glue and a bundle of old newspapers. "Awake? It's still early. Do you want to sleep a little longer? I'll wake you when it's time."
Yu Yao shook her head. "Sleeping too much will give you a headache. Let me help you wallpaper the walls."
The island is humid, and although the main structure of the houses is made of mountain stone, a lot of yellow clay was still used. The walls are prone to getting damp when it rains, so covering them with a layer of newspaper is not only aesthetically pleasing and dustproof, but also helps prevent moisture.
Yu Yao grew up in the countryside. Every year before the Lunar New Year, besides cleaning with her parents, the biggest chore she did was wallpapering the walls.
The mud walls, after a year of use, were so worn that newspapers were ruined, and they looked dusty and unsightly.
Yu Yao changed into an old set of clothes, and she and Lu Ze put on hats, fully armed. They first put the quilts and other things in the closet, and covered the rest that couldn't be hidden with oilcloth to avoid getting them dirty.
Lu Ze brought in a long bamboo pole with bamboo branches tied to the end. This was for sweeping away the spider webs in the corners and the plaster on the walls above.
Yu Yao then used the feather duster made by Wu Wanying to sweep away the fine dust.
When husband and wife work together, the work is less tiring.
After cleaning, Yu Yao and Lu Ze began to apply paste to the old newspapers and then put in the new ones.
The bedroom was spacious, and it took the two of them half an hour to re-cover all four walls with newspaper. Yu Yao stood in the center of the bedroom with her hands on her hips, looking at the newly renovated room, and said with a smile, "New year, new look. The bedroom looks so much better now that it's been re-covered."
Looking at the bedroom, Yu Yao couldn't help but think about the new house. "I wonder when we'll be able to move into the new house."
It would be great if we could stay in a bigger house. This place is still too small. It's okay for just the two of them, but if guests come, there's nowhere to stay, and they'll have to stay in a guesthouse.
Upon hearing this, Lu Ze's expression shifted. "Ayao, after the New Year, two officers in the unit will be transferred, which will free up two houses. However, they won't be new buildings, but rather old courtyard houses with separate entrances."
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