I saw Yu Qianwen and his family as soon as I woke up on Sunday. After breakfast, Yu's mother finally got down to business.
"The reason I called you back today is because your father and I discussed it. Now that you're all grown up and have your own families, your father and I have decided to separate the household."
Chen Xi immediately objected to the idea of dividing the family property, as his family currently occupied two rooms. "Dad, Mom, what are you saying? How can the family divide the property while our parents are still here?"
Gao Lan chimed in, "That's right, why did Mom and Dad suddenly separate?"
"Alright, your dad and I have decided to separate the family. It's not much different from separating now, but obviously the eldest and fourth sons will be at a disadvantage. The eldest son's family is all in the military, and the fourth son just got married and doesn't have any children. Your two children have grown up with us since they started school; your dad and I have taken care of their food and drink. We've always managed our own affairs anyway, so separating will be easier. The house belongs to your dad and me, so don't say I'm not helping you. There are five bedrooms; your dad and I will have one. The other four will be divided the way you lived before. Yu Zhang's room will be empty and given to the eldest son. As for the money, you'll each keep your own; I haven't taken a penny of your salaries. We won't divide the money. Your children can stay at home as they please. If they want to eat with us, each of them will get ten yuan a month for living expenses. We don't need you to support us now, but once your dad retires, each of you will give us twenty yuan a month for retirement. If there are any medical expenses, the four families will split them equally. How about that?"
Upon hearing that they would not only not receive any money but also have to pay for medical treatment, Chen Xi and Gao Lan both looked reluctant, but they did not want to be the ones to stand up for them.
“I have no problem.” Yu Qianhe broke the silence, and Yu Qianwen and Yu Qianyou quickly expressed their agreement, after all, Yu’s mother had just said that the two of them had been taking advantage of each other for more than ten years.
"Okay, if there are no problems, the four of you can sign the documents. I'll call the boss and tell him to get Yu Zhang's room ready."
Chen Xi couldn't help but say, "Mom, since my older brother hasn't come back yet, let Zhang'er stay here for now. It's just sitting empty anyway."
Mother Yu glanced at her second daughter-in-law without even looking up, and said, "If you want to live here, call your eldest son and discuss it with him. Whether you buy or rent, you can decide for yourselves."
Yu Qianwen tugged at Chen Xi, "Okay, Mom, we'll get ready in a bit."
"Alright, that's all. Now you can go do whatever you need to do!"
After Yu's mother finished speaking, Liu Yun and Yu Qian walked towards the courtyard.
Liu Yun was surprised when she saw the door. She hadn't expected that Yu Qian and Quan, whom he had mentioned, would be there. There was also a sewing machine and a radio in the bedroom.
"After buying so much, do you still have money left?"
Yu Qianhe walked to the wardrobe, opened it, and reached under the shelf to open a small compartment. He pulled out a box. "Here, my savings are all in here."
Upon opening the box, I found it filled with colorful tickets and money, neatly arranged. At the bottom was a passbook, which, when opened, revealed a thousand yuan. I counted the cash inside the box: one hundred and twenty-eight yuan and forty cents, along with various other receipts.
How do you still have so much money?
“I saved it myself, and my mom gave me 600 yuan, saying it was for your betrothal gifts.”
"You couldn't have bought these things for six hundred yuan! This must have cost over a thousand!"
“My sister-in-law and the others all have them. They were all bought by my brother and his family. If they have them, you should have them too,” Yu Qianhe said matter-of-factly.
"Alright, I'll pack up these boxes. You take that bag of candy and share it with the neighbors, then come back and help." Her dowry was all piled up in the bedroom, stacked together, but it was still quite crowded.
First, fold the clothes and put them in the boxes; hang them up to dry; put the shoes in the small rattan double-door cabinet by the door. It has three shelves inside, like a bookshelf, and two drawers on top. I must say, Yu Qian has pretty good taste and aesthetic sense.
In the kitchen, there's a basin for washing vegetables; in the living room, there's a washstand for washing faces; and two new towels are placed on the washstand for washing faces. The basins for bathing and washing feet are placed under the bed.
Neither of them had eaten lunch, and after everything was packed up, Liu Yun felt like her back was about to leave the house.
"That's enough, it's getting late, let's go home first! I told Mom we'll be home for dinner tonight."
"Okay, you don't have many clothes here. Did you forget to bring them or do you not have any? I have some fabric, let me make two more outfits! These two pairs of shoes were made for you by my mother."
When the two returned to the Yu family home, their mother had already prepared a meal. The four children were still living at the Yu family home, each receiving ten yuan a month for living expenses. Yu Zhang rented the room from Yu Qianwu for three yuan a month.
"Mom, we won't be coming back tomorrow night."
Have you bought all the grain over there?
"I bought it, everything's already set up, I can just move in."
After a long day, Liu Yun quickly washed up and dried herself off before lying down on the bed and falling asleep.
The next day, as soon as Yu Qian got off work, he picked up Liu Yun and they headed home.
For the first meal in the new house, I ordered steamed pork with rice flour, rice, and braised fish at a state-run restaurant. After returning home, I'll stir-fry some cabbage and make a radish and pork rib soup. I always have to cook for the first meal at home.
Although Liu Yun wasn't good at handling ingredients, her cooking skills were quite good, and the two of them enjoyed their meal very much.
Yu Qian brought over two iron pots, and Liu Yun used one for stir-frying and the other specifically for boiling water and steaming rice.
After dinner, Yu Qian washed the dishes, while Liu Yun planned to take a shower. She had sweated yesterday but hadn't showered, so she had to take a shower today.
That night, Yu Qianhe stared intently at Liu Yun. The room was dimly lit, and Yu Qianhe had taken off his glasses. His nearsightedness was only 200 degrees, and Liu Yun could almost see his eyes shining brightly.
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