Chapter 15 Chapter 15 This bowl is good

The old carpenter's family of four lived in a bungalow in Courtyard No. 7. The two rooms together occupied less than 30 square meters.

There are at least twenty houses in a row of bungalows. Since the front of each house faces the back windows of other houses, cooking can only be done in the kitchens on the side.

When the three arrived, Carpenter Zheng was cooking porridge in the kitchen.

In the open space in front of the kitchen, there was a pile of shaved wood, and the rough outline of a double bed had already been taken.

While Liu Chaoxian went into the kitchen to talk to the old carpenter, Wang Nian walked over and took a closer look at the old carpenter's craftsmanship.

Each piece of wood is polished very smoothly, and you can smell the scent of tung oil if you get close.

"What kind of bed do you want, comrade?"

The old carpenter came out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of porridge, blowing as he walked towards me.

Without saying anything, Wang Nian took out the drawing he had drawn yesterday and said, "Comrade, do you think this style can be made?"

"Did you draw this?" Liu Chaoxian curiously moved closer to take a closer look.

"I was just thinking about it." Wang Nian smiled: "Shi Wan is only three years old. You said I am worried about letting her climb up and down every day, but she is a girl after all, and it is not convenient to sleep on the bed..."

It’s all because the house is too small. The brother and sister may have to sleep together in the small house for many years. If the house cannot be made bigger, they can only start with the bed.

The bunk bed that Wang Nian drew was modeled after the beds in school in her previous life, and it has a staircase that can be used as a storage compartment.

The bunk bed has slightly more features. In addition to the detachable bed frame, there are two small cabinets at the connection between the end of the bed and the stairs.

When the time comes, buy some floral cloth to cover it, and the upper floor will become a completely private little space.

"Sister!" Huang Qiuhong looked at Wang Nian in surprise, and her voice became higher: "You are so considerate."

Huang Qiuhong also has a son and a daughter. Her son lives in the living room, while Zhang Meili and her husband sleep in the big bed.

But the child is almost ten years old, and it is not appropriate for him to continue sleeping with his parents.

A few days ago, the couple was discussing making a double bed for their son to sleep on the upper bunk, and just hanging an old bed sheet on the lower bunk.

Putting the money aside, Wang Nian's emphasis on children really made her feel ashamed.

"It just costs a lot of money." Liu Chaoxian was reluctant to do so. It was good enough to give the baby a bed to sleep on. Who would be so meticulous?

Wang Nian was about to speak when Huang Qiuhong answered first: "Think about it! This bed can be used by my daughter Meili before she gets married. It can actually save a lot of money."

It can be done in one step now, so that when the girl grows up, it won’t be inconvenient to change clothes.

Liu Chaoxian thought about it and it seemed to be true.

"Comrade Wang, it looks difficult to draw this bed, but it actually doesn't take much effort. You just need to make an extra staircase."

The old carpenter returned the drawings to Wang Nian, then picked up the bowl and slurped the food.

Soon, the porridge was gone. The old carpenter put down his bowl and waved to the three people: "Follow me."

There was a wooden shed in front of several rows of bungalows. The old carpenter unscrewed the wire on the door and pulled open the fence.

The shed was filled with unpolished wood and a number of semi-finished products. Wang Nian spotted a bunk bed without a bed board among them.

"That bed was originally reserved by someone else, but the man was later transferred to another factory, so the bed is just sitting here gathering dust. If you don't mind, I'll give it a discount."

The bed frame is thicker than that of ordinary beds, and since it is made of teak, it can be used for twenty years without any problem.

"Then you can continue using this rack." Wang Nian agreed readily.

"The bed board is ready. I just need to hurry up and make the ladder in the next two days. It's just..." Carpenter Wang paused for a moment before continuing, "But can I exchange it for some meat coupons? It's almost the end of the month, and I have to buy some meat for the children at home."

Perhaps it was because he saw the ribs in Huang Qiuhong's basket that Carpenter Wang changed his mind and picked them up carefully.

Even the workers in the same factory had their own lives. Carpenter Wang's family lived in extreme poverty, and if they wanted to eat meat, they had to find a way on their own.

Wang Nian recalled the tickets in the drawer, nodded and asked, "You just need the meat tickets?"

"Meat coupons and cloth coupons are fine."

"OK!"

Seeing that Wang Nian agreed so readily, Carpenter Wang couldn't help but smile. He repeatedly promised to help Wang Nian well and even refused to accept the extra money for the tung oil.

After discussing the specific time for delivering the bed with Carpenter Wang, Wang Nian took the two of them to the factory store to take a look.

After the bed is made, you also need to buy quilting and curtains.

"Comrade Shi, these two children are really lucky to have you." Huang Qiuhong sighed.

On the way to the store, Wang Nian took out a small notebook from his trouser pocket and wrote and drew with the tip of a pencil. Huang Qiuhong and Liu Chaoxian were so curious that they couldn't help but lean over to take a look.

The notebook lists what I need to do next, and I cross out the completed tasks and write a lot of new ones at the end.

Liu Chaoxian had a low level of education and dropped out of junior high school after one year, so Wang Nian's handwriting was a little sloppy and she couldn't recognize most of the characters.

"Take out... a can. What can?"

"That's a pottery jar, or a ceramic jar. I just wrote it casually. A clay jar would also work." Wang Nian smiled.

There is a cupboard, but there are few dishes and chopsticks. There are only three plates and two bowls. There are not enough chopsticks for one more person in the house.

There are also various seasoning jars, and the seasonings in the golden fingers are just right for use.

And... and... anyway, if you think about it carefully, you will find that there are many ways to live a good life.

"Life is long! If you have some money, you can buy more. If you don't, just make do with what you have now." Liu Chaoxian stuffed the notebook back to Wang Nian: "My salt jar or canning jar is fine as long as it works."

"You have to spend money to buy canned food." Wang Nian laughed: "Don't we have nothing at home?"

Living a fulfilling life in a limited environment has never been Wang Nian's outlook on life.

"Isn't that Wang Wenfang?"

As they walked, Huang Qiuhong suddenly saw two people walking in front of them who looked familiar. Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be Wang Wenfang and... Zhou Shanxiu.

Zhou Shanxiu was wearing a gray and white Dacron jacket and blue pants today. The heels of his leather shoes made a clacking sound when he walked, which was hard not to notice.

Wang Nian looked forward and immediately said, "Sister-in-law, Zhou Shanxiu!"

The news that Zhou Shanxiu's blind date failed did not spread in the brigade. On the contrary, many people were talking about Xie Hua getting the quota to return to the city.

Aunt Wu Ying also went through a lot of trouble to find out news about the Zhou family.

I only heard that Zhou Shanxiu went to visit relatives at her eldest sister's home in the provincial capital, and asked for a month's leave from the brigade, and set off several days earlier.

I never heard from her again after that.

In the blink of an eye, Wang Nian and Shi Xiangming had already gotten married. I thought there would be no chance for us to meet again, but I didn't expect to see them again so soon.

And it was also at Factory 431...

"What are they doing in the factory again?" Huang Qiuhong frowned: "Wang Wenfang won't introduce them to other people in our factory!"

It is most likely that Zhou Shanxiu is pregnant, otherwise with Wang Wenfang's persistence, this matter will never end!

But if it's true, the way they are dressed now clearly shows that they are going on a blind date!

Liu Chaoxian didn't know the inside story but he could tell there was something exciting going on, so he immediately took the initiative to take on the task of finding out the news.

"I'll go and ask around."

"Let's go." Huang Qiuhong also said.

Wang Nian waved her hands and said, "I have a lot of things to do, so I won't join in the fun."

"Then go ahead and get busy." Huang Qiuhong slung the basket over her arm and took Liu Chaoxian's hand: "Let's go take a look. We can't let Wang Wenfang harm other comrades."

Before Liu Chaoxian left, he specifically told Wang Nian: "My husband Zhang has already chosen a house next door to yours. Go to the factory affairs department this afternoon to get the key."

Now there is no suspense about who the neighbor will be, and I am quite satisfied with the candidate.

After watching the two people walk away in a hurry, Wang Nian continued to turn left.

Factory 431 is so huge that those with better conditions have to ride bicycles to work. It would take at least three hours to walk around the entire factory living area.

It takes twenty minutes to get to the store from Carpenter Wang's building.

After the beginning of autumn, the weather has been getting colder day by day. The heat on our wedding day is long gone, and it’s only been a week.

As Wang Nian was thinking about it, he simply took out the bills in his pocket and counted them.

If there is suitable Dacron, he will make two coats for the grandpa and the lady. In all these years, Wang Nian has never bought anything for the two elders.

"I just wonder if I still know how to cut fabric and draw patterns on a sewing machine after not using it for a long time..."

In his previous life, Wang Nian had worked in many jobs before he became an adult.

After being exploited in a shady restaurant for two years, he was transferred to a garment shop in a village in the city as an apprentice, and started by learning how to sew on a sewing machine.

Later, I was able to draw and cut clothes by myself, but I had to change jobs because of serious cervical spine problems.

As he was walking and thinking about random things, suddenly, a green truck parked in front of a store in the factory area attracted Wang Nian's attention.

There were quite a few people gathered behind the car, talking at once and gesticulating something.

"If you want to give us feedback, please go to the factory. We will set the price according to your requirements."

Next to the car, a middle-aged man in a striped sailor shirt stood with one hand on his waist, looking very imposing.

Most of the crowd soon dispersed, and only a few remained, reluctantly rummaging through the basket.

There were a dozen or so very large bamboo baskets, each as high as the thigh, filled with protruding... bowls, plates, and various pots, pans, and utensils.

"Comrade, can you buy all of these?"

Wang Nian walked up quickly and picked up a small wine glass from the basket.

The surface of the jadeite is relatively rough. After wiping away the thick dust on the inner wall with your thumb, you can see the clean and reflective inner wall.

Although it is not a very high-quality porcelain cup, it is definitely much better than a pottery cup.

"One daily necessities ticket, 20 cents for that one, 10 cents for the basket over here..."

These are the inventories of a ceramic factory that has been closed for many years. You can buy as many as you want with one daily necessities ticket. There is no limit on the quantity.

However... you have to dig through the many damaged and defective goods yourself.

It depends on your own ability to find something good, and if you accidentally break it, you will have to pay for it.

Many people were scared away by the broken dishes in front of them, and most of them just glanced over and left.

"It took us two days to get to Changshengpo. Isn't it normal to have a few broken pieces?"

"Buy if you want, leave if you don't."

"The factory manager used a lot of connections to get these good things. It's you who don't know the goods."

While the middle-aged man was arguing with the various people, Wang Nian quietly squatted down and began to carefully take out the broken dishes.

Judging from the cracks, these damages were probably caused during transportation.

Drivers are simply shirking their responsibilities by setting so many rules.

But Wang Nian didn't worry that he would push the problem onto himself.