Without Liu Weimin needing to do much persuasion, Li Yan had already been pacing back and forth, figuring out how to clean things up.
However, it was indeed dilapidated. Chen Jianguo's brows were furrowed from beginning to end, only relaxing slightly after Liu Weimin finished explaining the price.
"Village chief, how many days will it take for us to move in at the earliest?"
Liu Weimin did the math.
"This batch of grass will take a few more days to grow. If you're really in a hurry and can't wait until you have a break, then you'll have to do it after work in the evenings."
"Village chief, could you please urge us to move out as soon as possible?"
Liu Weimin had heard about the lively atmosphere at the educated youth compound, and judging from the current situation, he could roughly guess what was going on. However, as long as they didn't cause trouble, Liu Weimin didn't want to say anything more.
"Okay, I'll go find someone in a bit and have them take a look at what needs to be packed. You guys also take a look at what else needs to be packed besides what I just mentioned. We'll talk about it all at once and have them go back and prepare their things. They can come over after work tomorrow."
Two houses away was Liu Sanye's house. Tiger and his children were playing at the door, but they all came over to join in the fun and were immediately conscripted by Liu Weimin.
"Tiger, go to the west end and call your Uncle Dahai over. Blackie, go call your Uncle Jiefang."
"Why!"
Tiger and Black Egg took off running. Some of the other children were still watching the fun from the doorway, while others ran after Tiger and the others. Little Jianxin came running in, gave Jianxin a sweet talk, and then ran back to find Little Flower.
Simple wasn't in a hurry to go back, and didn't hold her back.
Soon, two professionals arrived, walked around the house, and listened to the two men explain their requirements.
"Then come over after work tomorrow and finish the walls and roof first. It would be a hassle if it rained halfway through."
These small parts—the walls, the roof, the stove in the outer room—will be finished in three or four days. The kang (heated brick bed) will take a little longer; once it's all laid out, it needs to dry completely before anyone can move in.
"Alright, Dahai, Jiefang, you two take good care of it. Make sure the kang (heated brick bed), the stove, and everything else are fixed up so that it doesn't smoke again."
Upon hearing this, Liu Dahai and Liu Jiefang knew that this was a special favor, otherwise the village chief wouldn't have bothered with it.
Liu was a common surname in Liujiatun, and he wasn't much older than Liu Weimin; they were practically childhood friends. He immediately agreed.
"Don't worry, Brother Weimin, you don't trust me to do the work?"
With the matter settled, rent paid to Liu Weimin, and a deposit for house repairs made Chen Jianguo and his wife breathe a sigh of relief, as does Liu Weimin.
"Village chief, thank you for your help. We can rest assured now that this matter is in your hands."
Actually, we've been a bit rude today. This place is practically our home now, and we'll definitely invite you over for a celebratory meal when we move in."
In rural areas, people value personal relationships. Normally, when asking someone for a favor, you wouldn't come empty-handed. It's not about bribery, but simply a way of showing goodwill. How could you ask someone for a favor empty-handed?
However, Chen Jianguo and his wife really didn't have much on hand right now, but they had to say it out loud so that people would know whether they would get something later or after the meal. It would be easy to discuss it then, and they couldn't let people do all that work for nothing.
(Liao Guodi: This is a custom prevalent in some parts of China, especially in Henan, Northeast China, and Luonan, Shaanxi. This custom is usually performed when people move to a new house, symbolizing bringing the joy and wealth of the old house into the new one, hoping that life in the new house will be happy and fulfilling.)
The specific activities of heating the bottom of the pot include:
Choosing an auspicious day is usually the morning of the third, sixth, or ninth day of the lunar calendar, just as the sun is rising, because people consider this a very lucky day.
When moving, besides furniture and other items, the iron pot is the last thing to be moved into the new house. Before moving the iron pot, the owner will bake one side of a large flatbread, then wrap a red string around the pot, and carry it to the stove in the new house amidst the sound of firecrackers, flip it over and continue baking it.
When cooking for the first time on the stove in the new house, the golden-brown flatbread will be served as a special dish for relatives and friends to enjoy. At the same time, everyone will chat while eating, creating a house full of laughter and joy.
Burning the bottom of a pot is not only a traditional custom to celebrate the completion of a new house, but also symbolizes a new beginning and a prosperous life. Over time, this custom has also added new elements. For example, in the Xuchang area, burning the bottom of a pot also signifies communication and congratulations among relatives and friends.
In addition, in some places, people bring fermented dough food with them when they burn the bottom of the pot, which means "prosperity and good fortune" and express their hope that life in the new home will be rich and prosperous.
However, at this point, "shao guo di" (a local custom) can't be interpreted too explicitly; it simply means moving house, and everyone getting together for a lively celebration symbolizes the start of a new life.
Everyone was poor, which Liu Weimin naturally understood. He didn't care about whether they cooked at the bottom of the pot or not, but the fact that they treated this place as home and trusted him made Liu Weimin feel quite pleased, and his tone became more intimate.
"As long as you can work hard and live your lives well, that's enough. Spend your money wisely and don't do anything fancy."
After seeing Liu Weimin off, Chen Jianguo couldn't help but smile. Now he had a home.
A man should make his wife and children live a comfortable life. This sense of pride made him feel like his heart was soaring.
Li Yan was much more straightforward. Ignoring the weeds all over the yard, she looked around several times and thought it was perfect from every angle. If it weren't for the fact that she really couldn't live there, she wouldn't want to leave.
On the way back, I couldn't help but look back.
"You said a few days, does that mean you can move in in three days?"
"I'll pack my things when I get back. I'll put both of our things in a box, and I need to make sure nothing is left behind."
"Do you think we should come over after work tomorrow? They're repairing the house, so we can mow the grass in the backyard. That way we can plant the garden sooner, right?"
"The front yard isn't small either. Oh dear, isn't it too late to catch chicks now? What else can we do with it? How about turning it into a vegetable garden? We could grow a lot more crops, right?"
She said something, and Chen Jianguo would smile and agree naturally, without the slightest impatience. Although there was a distance between them, Jian Dan still inexplicably felt that she couldn't get in.
"Okay, I'll come over after work tomorrow. There are mosquitoes in the grass tonight, so don't come. Just stay home and tidy up your things."
"How about you look around and see what kind of seeds we have? If we don't have enough, ask who has any and we can exchange them. I'll just dig up the whole garden over there, clean it up, and then we can move them over and plant them right away without wasting any time."
“That works too. There are only a few plots of land around the educated youth compound, not much can be grown. So many people eat just a little bit of cabbage. Now it’s great, we can plant as much as we want, and we’ll have vegetables to eat in the winter.”
I'll ask Jian Dan what she needs to prepare for living on her own, and we can prepare in advance too.
Simple was completely speechless.
"Thank you so much for remembering me."
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