Lu Ze said, "I think it's fine. I've inspected the house; it's strong enough to withstand a typhoon, so there's no safety issue. As for water, I'll fetch water from the well every morning and fill the water tank."
Hearing Lu Ze say this, Yu Yao also felt that the only two problems were nothing. "I think the backyard is not far from the mountain. If we can find a spring on the mountain, we can use bamboo tubes to draw the spring water down for use. It's no worse than tap water."
"You go back first, I'll go find the division commander. In a couple of days, after the old commander and the others have moved out, we can move in."
Yu Yao was surprised that it was happening so quickly and was a little worried: "What will happen to our original yard? The passion fruit will be ripe in half a month. If we move now, it will be hard for us to survive."
"There are no new military dependents arriving on the island at the moment. I will speak with the division commander and ask for a two-week extension."
"That's good," Yu Yao breathed a sigh of relief that she didn't have to move out immediately. "It's perfect timing since Mom is coming this time. I was worried about not being able to stay in the guesthouse. If we move here, we'll have a room to stay in. It'll just be hard on you though, since you'll have to move all your things from home."
She's going to work on the new production line, and she'll probably be very busy at first. Lu Ze will have to take care of everything at home.
Lu Ze gently patted his lover's head. "We're husband and wife, these are things I should do."
Yu Yao took an envelope out of her military satchel and handed it to Lu Ze.
There was three hundred yuan inside.
The old courtyard is spacious, and the houses have been specially reinforced to protect against typhoons, which cost a lot. Moving there will require a subsidy of 300 yuan to the military.
Lu Ze went to talk to Commander Zheng about the allocation of courtyards, while Yu Yao went home by herself.
With something on her mind, Su Meihua was distracted while working. She was turning over the dried vegetables on the bamboo strips to dry while keeping an eye on the outside. When she saw Yu Yao return, she quickly put down her things, wiped her hands on her apron, and walked towards Yu Yao.
"Yu Yao, how's the yard looking?"
"Both courtyards are quite nice, with plenty of space. Just considering the courtyards and houses, they are almost twice the size of where we live now."
Su Meihua was intrigued. "So spacious? Are there many houses?"
Yu Yao nodded. "Yes, there are plenty. Besides the main room and master bedroom, there are two side rooms on each side. The woodshed and kitchen are built separately. If you feel it's not enough, there's open space on all sides, in front and behind, so we can build a few more rooms."
"Have you and Commander Lu made your choices?"
“We’ve chosen Commander Gao’s house.” Yu Yao saw through Su Meihua’s thoughts and continued, “The house of Staff Officer Wang is similar in layout, except that the wall is a fence and the yard is planted with vegetables, not flowers. There’s only one old house left, so if you want to move, Sister Meihua, you’d better make a decision quickly.”
Su Meihua was still hesitant. On the one hand, she felt that exchanging the apartment for the old courtyard seemed like a loss, but on the other hand, she felt that the old courtyard was very convenient. She couldn't make up her mind.
"Yu Yao, why did you choose the old courtyard house instead of an apartment building?"
Yu Yao then told Su Meihua all her thoughts: "I've seen the apartment building where Sister-in-law Sun Yu and her family live. Although it's a brick and tile house with running water and a water room, it's too small. It's not as comfortable as living in a courtyard."
The old courtyard is close to the sea and the back mountain, making it convenient to go into the sea to catch some fish and shrimp, and to go up the mountain to pick wild vegetables and fruits.
Moreover, the old courtyard is spacious enough that there won't be enough room if guests come or a baby is born in the future.
Yu Yao thought of several advantages of living in the old courtyard, especially the last one, which directly touched on Su Meihua's hidden pain.
"I'll go back and discuss it with Lao Lei. Thank you, Yu Yao."
Su Meihua entered the house, her mind preoccupied with the old courtyard. Commander Lei called her twice, but she didn't respond.
"What's wrong with you? You seem distracted?"
Su Meihua snapped out of her reverie and gestured for Commander Lei to sit down beside her. "Old Lei, I just ran into Yu Yao. They've taken a liking to Commander Gao's house and are planning to move there. What do you think about us moving there too?"
As Commander Lei helped her pick vegetables, he looked at her with a puzzled expression. "Didn't you say you wanted to live in an apartment building?"
"That's what I used to think, but after talking with Yu Yao just now, I feel that the buildings are not actually that good, except for the sound of them."
At the time, she thought that if she was assigned an apartment, she could exchange it with others who wanted to move to apartments, and she would keep the subsidies given to her hometown to send back.
But after listening to Yu Yao's analysis, she felt that the old courtyard was better.
“Most importantly, the old courtyard is big enough that we can build two more rooms.” At this point, Su Meihua’s voice choked up a little. “If we have a house, I want to bring my parents and children to the island.”
Given the choice, who would want to be separated from their child?
Commander Lei earns more than Lu Ze, but Su Meihua is reluctant to eat or dress well. Over the years, she has been extremely frugal, saving every penny to send back to her parents and children back home so that they can live a better life.
She had previously considered exchanging with someone else, but now it seems she was short-sighted. If they moved to the old courtyard, although they would have to pay extra, they could bring their parents and children over. With a little hard work, she and Lao Lei could save up that money in a year or two.
After hearing Su Meihua's suggestion, Regiment Commander Lei was also tempted and made up his mind: "Let's move with Regiment Commander Lu and the others. The old courtyards are limited, and they are occupied by the families of the first batch of soldiers who came to the island. If we miss this opportunity, we probably won't have another chance."
"Then it's decided. The biggest problem now is money. I just sent money home this morning, and they only have enough for this month's expenses. Where am I going to get three hundred yuan?"
He gritted his teeth and said, "Let's move it. I'll figure out how to pay."
Three hundred yuan is not a small amount, and Su Meihua could not let her husband borrow it alone. After thinking about it, she mustered up her courage and went to Yu Yao's house.
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