Chapter 54 Chapter 54 New Home

After resting in the hotel for a day, Jiang Yuting appeared again.

"Good morning, Miss Jiang." Wang Nian took Shi Xiangming's arm and slowly walked out of the hotel door, smiling and waving.

After a kind reminder from the hotel attendant yesterday, Wang Nian finally realized that in Anhuai City, calling someone "comrade" is considered a sign of backward thinking.

"You can just call me Xiao Jiang." Surprise flashed across Jiang Yuting's eyes, then disappeared in an instant, leaving only a gentle smile at the corners of her mouth.

Why was he so surprised? Of course it was because Wang Nian seemed like a different person today.

Yesterday I addressed her as Ms. because she is Mr. Shi’s wife. Regardless of her status or age, she deserves to be addressed as a respectful title by a young person like her.

But now that Wang Nian saw how young and beautiful she was, he could no longer utter the word "madam".

An orange dress with a waist-hugging design makes her figure look slimmer. Her long hair is half tied up and the rest is casually draped over her shoulders, making her temperament look very gentle.

"Where are we going today?" Wang Nian smiled.

"I'll take you to see the house first. After you've settled in, Chief Engineer Shi can report to the design institute." Jiang Yuting replied.

This was one of the reasons why the Design Institute was able to successfully win Shi Xiangming's approval among many competitors.

The hospital held a special meeting to discuss this matter and tried to make arrangements to the highest possible standards.

China Shipbuilding Research and Design Institute.

The full name is China Ship Research and Design Institute, which is the unit where Shi Xiangming will work for many years.

The design institute does not have a dedicated residential compound. The only two tube-shaped buildings in the institute were built more than ten years ago and later the houses were dispersed to various areas.

The house arranged by the design institute is not far from the unit. A few people only need to walk for ten minutes to see a small path.

On the left side of the wall is the Design Institute, and on the right side is the dormitory building of Anhuai University.

"Mom, there is a table tennis table." Shi Feiying was faster than Jiang Yuting, and ran around the corner and came back to report: "There is a very big pool in front, which can wash a lot of clothes."

"The kid should be talking about the original fountain. The underground pipes have been broken due to years of disrepair. It is actually correct to say that it is a pool now." Jiang Yuting smiled.

Walking deeper into the path, the space suddenly opens up after turning the corner.

The round pool is covered with blue tiles, and layers of moss and dead branches and leaves float on the green water.

After walking past the pond, there is an octagonal pavilion.

When the garden was first built, the idea was to adopt a Chinese garden style, but the craftsmanship was not up to par and only the outline was built.

Cement pillars, cement floors, and all places where wood is needed are used, and it is exposed cement.

So this small garden is gray everywhere except for the green tile roof.

Everywhere there were trees in the garden people were hanging clothes on ropes to dry, and even the spaces between the pillars were lined with sun mats.

"It has been raining intermittently in Anhuai City for two months. Now that the weather has finally cleared up, everyone is busy drying out their clothes." Jiang Yuting explained.

Although Changshenggou has a lot of rain and wind, it is not damp.

Anhuai lives near the sea and there is a lot of rain. There are always a few months a year when there are no sunny days, and it is common for household items to mold.

Walking through the garden, the hustle and bustle of the city hits you in the face.

"This is called Yuan'an Lane. Some of the families of the design institute's employees live here, but most of them are employees from other factories."

Looking around, the most eye-catching thing is the bamboo poles crisscrossing outside the window. The bamboo poles are full of clothes, many of which are still dripping with water.

The dripping water formed pools of water on the bluestone road, and the corners of the first floor walls were covered with moss over the years.

If you raise your hand, you can almost touch the electric wires running through the streets. In addition, there are junk piled up at the door of every house, so if two people walk side by side, their shoulders will rub against each other.

"Mom, it stinks in here!"

Shi Feiying, who had already run a long way away, ran out again, pinching her nose in disgust and complaining to Wang Nian.

The house was built early, so there were probably no toilets in the house. To go to the toilet, people could only go to the public toilets in the alley or pour their waste into the sewers on both sides of the alley.

It was the public toilet not far away that smelled Shi Feiying. Coincidentally, an older woman on the roadside emptied the spittoon into her vagina. The smell... you can imagine.

"Mom, are we going to live here in the future?"

The dirty water splashing out from the vagina almost splashed Shi Wan's pants and feet. The little girl wrinkled her nose and asked in a muffled voice, holding Wang Nian's arm.

There is no doubt that Anhuai City is developing faster, but in terms of living conditions, it is really not as good as the factory.

Wang Nian could only soothe the two "burdens" hanging on his body with a gentle voice.

"It's actually quite nice here. Look how lively it is... There are shops and telephone booths outside, and..."

Before Wang Nian finished speaking, someone suddenly stuck his head out of a window on the second floor to the right, coughed violently several times toward the floor below, and then a mouthful of thick phlegm flew down.

Shi Xiangming pulled the mother and her children back quickly, barely avoiding the thick phlegm that was about to fall on their heads.

Jiang Yuting's smile froze for a moment, and then she quickly explained: "The house is not here, we have to walk forward for ten minutes..."

The road was being paved there, and Jiang Yuting randomly chose an alley that was relatively close to go out. She didn't expect that she would leave such a bad impression on several people as soon as she arrived.

Thinking of this, he glanced at Shi Xiangming cautiously.

Her slightly wrinkled brows gradually relaxed after hearing these words. Fortunately, she showed no signs of getting angry. If she had angered the chief engineer, whom the design institute had tried every means to recruit, Jiang Yuting would probably have had to resign.

Wang Nian also breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

Comforting the children was one thing, but she herself was actually a little disappointed... After all, Shi Xiangming's look just now really gave her great hope.

The group stopped looking around and quickened their pace.

After passing through the narrow alley, the road suddenly became wide. Although it was still an alley, its style was completely different from the alley.

On the left side of the road are rows of tube-shaped buildings, and on the right side are small Western-style buildings hidden among lush trees.

"This is the house that the Design Institute arranged for Chief Engineer Shi. What do you think of it, sister-in-law?"

As she walked, Jiang Yuting suddenly stopped in front of a two-story building.

Although it was not as magnificent as the Western-style buildings he saw at first, it definitely exceeded Wang Nian's expectations.

Gray exterior walls, sloping roof, a very typical foreign-style small building.

The red iron gate is opposite the crosswalk.

"Is this all in this building?" Wang Nian gestured with his hand.

"Well, this whole building has them. You'll know if you go in and take a look, sister-in-law." Jiang Yuting smiled.

Wang Nian's gesture instantly put his anxious heart at ease, and he finally lived up to the task assigned by the dean.

"Shi Xiangming." Wang Nian smiled and said in a loud voice. He jumped up and bumped Shi Xiangming's chest with his shoulder: "You can do it!"

"Go in and take a look."

Shi Xiangming was happy when his wife was happy, and he rubbed his chest with a smile.

Push the door open.

The first thing that comes into view is a road leading to a small courtyard, with empty rooms on both sides.

The windows seen from the roadside should be these two rooms, and judging from the height, there is a second floor.

The yard is about 30 to 40 square meters, with a well in the middle.

The house is in the shape of a U, with a room on each side. It can be seen that it was used as a kitchen and a study in the past.

The exterior of the house has an exotic feel, but the interior seems to have been renovated. From the doors and windows to the stairs, they are all made of iron windows and iron doors, which are quite popular nowadays.

"This house used to be occupied by the president of Anhuai University. After retirement, the whole family returned to their hometown...it has been empty until now." Jiang Yuting casually stroked the windowsill, and her fingertips were covered with a thick layer of dust.

The main living space is at the top of the word "口".

"The area of ​​a single floor is about 70 square meters, and the total area of ​​the upper and lower floors should be about 150 square meters."

A square living room with a room on each side.

Climb up the old brown wooden stairs to the second floor. The layout is basically the same as the first floor, except that the living room has been turned into a room.

That is, there are three rooms on the second floor and two on the first floor.

"Mom, I want to live in this room!"

The two rooms on the second floor face the street, and only the room on the living room floor faces the yard, and it is the largest in area.

As soon as Shi Wan entered the house, she immediately chose this room. She walked around the room for a long time and had already decided where to put the bed.

"I'm the eldest brother, I choose first."

"I'm the youngest brother, so I said let my sister choose first."

Wang Nian let the children argue with each other, and after coming out of each room, he suddenly noticed that there were stairs leading up.

"Is there a room upstairs?"

"The old principal liked to grow flowers, so he planted a lot of flowers on the roof."

Wang Nian went up the stairs first, and after a few steps he pushed open the door on the top floor.

There is a small room built with red bricks on the roof, which should be used to store tools.

The rest of the place was filled with flower pots and flower stands of all sizes. There were so many flower pots that one had no idea where to put their feet.

"The old principal's wife is an old professor at the Agricultural University who specializes in fruit tree planting. I heard that the roof used to be planted with fruit trees... You can see that they even hired someone to waterproof the ground."

No wonder the flower pots on the roof are so large. Although most of them are filled with dead grass, Wang Nian quickly noticed a pear tree that was growing quite well next to it.

I walked over and picked a golden pear.

"These are still a minority, the real big players are in the backyard."

Jiang Yuting walked over and pointed at her back. Wang Nian looked down and felt a huge surprise falling from the sky.

The yard I've always dreamed of is still this big...

Behind the living room there is a yard of at least five or six hundred square meters. Together with the house, the whole house is an upright oval.

Behind the yard wall is a road under construction. According to Jiang Yuting's explanation, in the future, people can just open a door in the backyard and go directly home from that direction, thus shortening the journey home by at least half.

"Are you satisfied, sister-in-law?"

Wang Nian nodded repeatedly, unable to help but look at the big yard again and again, and then the small yard.

Even in her previous life, she had worked so hard but still couldn't live in such a big house. Unexpectedly, she could enjoy it in advance in this life.

"As long as sister-in-law is satisfied," Jiang Yuting smiled.

How could I be dissatisfied? Only the director and deputy director of the design institute are qualified to live in a small villa, and now Chief Engineer Shi has been added to the list.

"If there is anything that needs to be improved, Chief Engineer Shi can point it out and I will report it to the hospital."

Of course...the most important protagonist must be Shi Xiangming, and Jiang Yuting must of course ask for his opinion.

"There are too many things that need to be purchased for the house. I may have to trouble Comrade Jiang to talk to my wife later." Shi Xiangming smiled faintly.

"Sister-in-law, just come find me." Jiang Yuting patted her chest to assure.

After standing on the top floor for a while and looking at the scenery, a few people went downstairs.

Jiang Yuting told Shi Xiangming that she would report to the design institute on Monday and left after handing the key to Wang Nian.

Wang Nian escorted the person out the door.

"If I'm not here, sister-in-law can also ask the neighbors. People here are very enthusiastic." Jiang Yuting waved her hand.

Wang Nian said "OK".

"Did you just move in?" Jiang Yuting had just walked away when a warm-hearted lady came up to her and pointed behind her, saying, "My last name is Liu, and I live next door to you."

The house next door is also two-story, but there should be several families living there. There are two doors on the first floor and two families on the second floor. The stairs are built on the side of the house.

"Hello, Sister Liu. My name is Wang Nian, and I just moved in today."

"A few days ago, we were still discussing who would move into Principal Chen's old house. We didn't expect it to be such a young girl." The eldest sister smiled and looked Wang Nian up and down with kindness.

Until Shi Feiying rushed out of the door and hugged Wang Nian, shouting aggrievedly: "I lost the game of rock-paper-scissors again!"

"Your son?" Sister Liu was slightly surprised. She really didn't expect that Wang Nian, who looked like an unmarried girl, actually had such a big son.

"Mom."

"Mom."

Then two children came out of the room one after another, further surprising the eldest sister.

"Sister, you really look young." Sister Liu touched her face and even wondered who was older between the two of them.

Wang Nian heard the other person's accent and thought he was from the north, so he asked casually, "Where does Sister Liu's boyfriend work?"

"My target is a quality inspector from the Qianjin Plastics Factory. All the people living in this building are our factory employees." The elder sister raised her hand and gestured, then asked, "Who is your target, sister?"

"My partner works in a design institute."

"No wonder..." Sister Liu slapped her thigh excitedly. Just as she was about to say something, she turned around and looked at the neighbor who pushed the door open and said, "Xiao Zhang, come and get to know our new neighbor."

Xiao Zhang looks to be in his twenties, with a square face, big eyes and thick lips. He has a masculine appearance and gives people an honest and simple impression.

"Hello, my name is Zhang Hongyan."

Zhang Hongyan's husband, Qiu Chengjun, is also a worker at a plastics factory. The couple has a daughter who is about the same age as Shi Feiying.

Sister Liu's real name is Liu Min. Her husband is Fang Caifu and she has a son and a daughter, both of whom study at the Eighth Middle School in Anhuai City.

"Xiao Zhang, is Xiao Wang's partner the chief engineer that Old Hu mentioned?" Liu Min's tone was full of envy.

The house was vacant for several years and no one lived in it. Later, someone came to change the key to the door, and then everyone heard that someone was living in the house...

No. 15 Guanghua Street is well-known throughout the entire street.

If Wang Nian had just looked at his own yard and then at the neighbors on both sides, he would have known why Liu Min was so jealous.

There are several households living in one building on the left and right. Not only is the living area small, but there is no yard at all.

The yard is located next to other people's houses. The two families living in the north-facing house can almost touch other people's windows by opening their windows and stretching out their hands. How can Liu Min not envy Wang Nian's family for living in such a big house and having a yard?

I wonder how many people have their eyes on that yard...

"Being able to live in a big house is a matter of ability. Look at the directors in our factory, all of them live in big houses." Zhang Hongyan replied.

"You're right. Xiao Wang's girlfriend must be a cultural figure who has made great contributions to our country. It's only right that she should live in a better place."

"Sister-in-law, you!" Zhang Hongyan shook her head and sighed, and pointed out directly: "In the future, you should listen less to Hu Wenli's bragging. You know her... She just says bad things about this family and that family every day."

"Thanks for your reminder, otherwise I would have really thought of something wrong." Liu Min patted her forehead and smiled at Wang Nian embarrassedly: "Don't mind it, sister! I just think slowly."

Wang Nian smiled.

"Now that we've come to this, I'll just have a few more complaints with you." Zhang Hongyan put the basket of vegetables at her feet, approached Wang Nian and whispered, "There's a guy named Hu on your right. He likes to gossip about others. If he says something unpleasant, just curse him."

Hu Wenli's husband also works in the design institute. He is not a bad guy, but he has a really hateful mouth.

Zhang Hongyan saw that Wang Nian looked quite friendly, so she deliberately said a few more words to him, and finally patted Wang Nian on the shoulder and said, "If there is anything you can help with, just come and ask us."

"Sister Zhang, are you going to buy groceries?" Wang Nian really had a question to ask.

"Buy some food for lunch." Zhang Hongyan said as she looked at Wang Nian and then the children: "It's not even certain who is older between us!"

Then the two of them exchanged ages, and Zhang Xiaoyan and Liu Min realized that they were actually older than Wang Nian, and Liu Min was even almost ten years older.

"Everything in the house needs to be arranged. At least we need to buy a bed first so that people have a place to sleep..."

The house was just an empty shell, and there were more things to buy than when he had just gotten married. Wang Nian didn't know where to start for a while.

"You should have told me earlier! Our Guanghua Street is well connected and sells everything. You can buy everything and find a tricycle to take them all to the door at once. It will be very convenient..." said Zhang Hongyan.

"Could you please, Sister Zhang, take me to see where I can buy furniture?" Wang Nian asked hurriedly.

"It's not that difficult. We can go there in the afternoon!"

Zhang Hongyan's generosity was evident from the first day Wang Nian met her, and as they got along for many years...he liked being with her more and more.

With Zhang Hongyan's help, Shi Xiangming was able to continue to proceed in an orderly manner after he officially reported to the design institute.

After half a month of busy work, the family finally moved from the hotel into their own home.

"Wang Nian, the person who delivers the gas tank is here..." Zhang Hongyan pushed open the half-closed door and called out loudly after washing the pots and pans. Without waiting for a reply, she turned around and said to the gas delivery master, "Master, come in directly."

"Just let the master come in directly." Wang Nian's answer came later.

This was also the first time that Zhang Hongyan actually walked into Wang Nian's house. In the past, she only gave directions to people at the door, and at most she would look at the yard full of miscellaneous items from a distance.

There is no firewood provided in Anhuai City, so people have to use either honeycomb coal or liquefied petroleum gas cylinders to cook.

Nowadays, all gas stoves are single-hole, so Wang Nian decided to use both in the kitchen, gas for cooking and honeycomb coal for stewing.

The kitchen is very spacious, with a row of cement cupboards without doors built on the wall. Wang Nian also bought a four-layer wooden cupboard.

It was obvious that the old principal's family didn't cook much, and the walls and windows were clean and free of smoke.

Wang Nian also found several clay pots of different sizes and some exquisitely shaped chopstick holders in the corner of the kitchen, which gave us a glimpse into the exquisite life of the previous owner.

"Oh my god!" Zhang Hongyan couldn't help but praise as she stepped into the kitchen first: "Your kitchen is as big as the one in my house with three children."

The kitchen is so big that the dining table can be placed inside the house.

After the air delivery master left, Wang Nian took out a can of grapefruit tea from the cement cupboard and made a cup for Zhang Hongyan.

"I'm very familiar with Guanghua Street. How come I've never seen this kind of sweet soup before?" Zhang Hongyan took a sip and was immediately attracted by its sour and sweet taste.

"I brought it from my hometown!" said Wang Nian.

A luggage bag was filled with bottles and cans, and Wang Nian secretly hid some of them in the space.

If the stone pot wasn't too conspicuous, she would have actually wanted to bring it along with her in the space.

"Life in the third-tier factories is much better than in the city. We have to pay for everything." Zhang Hongyan drank the water in one breath, wiped her mouth and stood up: "Take me to see what the big house looks like?"

"My husband Shi is also lucky." Wang Nian picked up the cup and walked out of the kitchen: "If we hadn't made progress in the research project this year, we wouldn't have been able to transfer back to An Huai."

"Only when you have strength can you have luck. If it happened to my old Qiu, he would be cursing at me right now!"

Zhang Hongyan is a kind-hearted person who knows her own limitations. Even though she saw with her own eyes how nice Wang Nian's house is, she didn't feel jealous at all.

It’s still the same old saying…it’s earned through ability.

A new washing table was built with cement next to the well. The cement was not dry yet and a broken wooden board was placed on top.

Wang Nian saw her gaze fall on that, and immediately explained with a smile: "There are two boys at home, and their clothes can't be washed clean without a brush."

"I've noticed that your youngest boy is quite naughty these past two days. Yesterday, when I passed by your door, I heard you beating him." Zhang Hongyan covered her mouth and laughed.

Wang Nian sighed: "Didn't the family in front leave a pear tree? I was thinking of transplanting it to the backyard... but I didn't keep an eye on it and the brat broke it!"

Shi Shuwen and Shi Wan were both well-behaved and obedient, so much so that Wang Nianchan's idea of ​​raising a child was just a beautiful illusion.

Shi Feiying is really cute when she is cute, but she is also very naughty when she is naughty. She gets more and more naughty as she grows older. Wang Nian got into trouble without realizing it.

"Haha." Zhang Feiyan laughed.

The room opposite the kitchen is still empty now, and it is very likely to become Shi Xiangming's study in the future.

Wang Nian planned to sew some cushions on the wooden sofa left by the old principal and use it as is, as there were too many things that needed to be bought for the house and she did not have that much money on hand at the moment.

Plus, I haven’t had time to buy any home appliances yet, so the living room is empty and uninteresting.

However, Zhang Hongyan didn't really want to visit every room. She just looked at the living room and then leaned over the stairs to look up, with no intention of going up at all.

"Take me to see your big yard."

What she wanted to see most was the big yard that countless people drooled over when they mentioned it.

Although you don’t need coupons to buy vegetables now, the wage increase cannot keep up with the increase in vegetable prices. In fact, vegetables are more expensive than before.

If she had such a big yard...

"Wow!"

As soon as the door opened, Zhang Hongyan opened her mouth in surprise and didn't know what to say for a while.

A few years ago, when the old principal and his wife were still there, she would occasionally stand at the window and look to the side.

But the old professor likes to plant flowers and plants, and there are many climbing plants in the yard, so it doesn’t seem that big from the outside.

But now the yard has been cleared and divided into pieces, and at first glance there is no end in sight.

During the past half month, Wang Nian spent one third of his time cleaning the backyard.

“After clearing all the dead grass, I discovered there was a small patch to the right, perfect for raising chickens.”

This time... Zhang Hongyan couldn't stop feeling sour.