After laughing enough, everyone started packing up the things they had bought.
Sister-in-law Chi and Li Mingfan's wife carried oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and other necessities to the kitchen.
Chi Dashan was tidying up the firewood he had collected.
Old Man Chi, Old Man Li, Aunt Chi, Aunt Li, and Li Mingfan were there oiling and pasting paper on the windows.
These wooden windows need to be painted every few years to not only prevent corrosion but also improve their airtightness and make them more durable.
Choose a sturdy window paper, but one that doesn't let in much light.
After all, it's to keep out the draft in winter.
Painting these windows is a bit of a hassle. You have to take the window apart, clean up a section, apply two coats of primer, and then apply two more coats of orange paint.
Each coat of paint must be allowed to dry completely before proceeding.
Fortunately, the sun is strong now, so it dries quickly.
Then they took out the tables, chairs, and benches from the house and oiled them twice.
By this time, Sister-in-law Chi and her husband had finished cleaning up the kitchen, and then they went to tidy up the kang mat and put on the bed covers.
In fact, during the escape, only three bed sheets remained.
However, Chi Tang quietly took out the two bedspreads that she had previously put away.
Li Mingfan's wife was somewhat surprised.
Sister-in-law Chi could only brush it off: "Perhaps I forgot before..."
Forgot?
Li Mingfan's wife isn't stupid.
But little did she know that Chi Tang had a personal space.
So I racked my brains but couldn't figure it out, so I didn't investigate further.
At least, something is better than nothing, right?
Outside, Chi Dashan was making a lot of noise while setting up the clothes rack.
All the blankets and quilts in the house need to be taken apart, washed, stuffed with cotton, and remade.
Clothes also need to be aired out.
The firewood we collected happened to have some thick branches, which were perfect for making clothes racks.
However, we didn't have the tools, so we borrowed them from next door.
The three old bachelors living next door had nothing to do, so they took advantage of Chi Dashan's request to borrow something to come over and help him out.
The three old men are all in their early fifties, but they are very energetic.
When it was time for dinner, the three old men went home.
For dinner, we used the leftover chicken and mushroom broth from lunch as a base, and added some potatoes, green beans, and cabbage to make a stew.
Then, using the white radishes given by the villagers and the large bones they bought, they stewed a soup together.
A group of young boys drank until their bellies were round and full.
"Eldest daughter-in-law, use the leftover bone broth to make a few bowls of noodles and send them to the neighbors later," Aunt Chi instructed while bathing Chi Tang.
Sister-in-law Chi immediately agreed.
She quickly made the noodles and delivered them.
Uncle Wei and his two companions were so moved by the unexpected meal cooked for them by their neighbors that tears streamed down their faces.
Just as I was refusing, my stomach started growling loudly.
The family was poor, and none of the three of them knew how to cook, so they generally didn't eat dinner; they would just eat two raw sweet potatoes each as a meal.
The aroma of noodles is irresistible at this moment.
Sister-in-law Chi didn't make fun of him: "Uncle Wei, we'll be neighbors from now on, so you'll have to take care of us. Eat while it's hot... I'll come get the bowl tomorrow."
He left after saying that.
Uncle Wei was deeply moved: "This is a great neighbor!"
Before I could even finish feeling touched, I heard the sound of someone slurping noodles behind me!
Uncle Wei almost twisted his neck when he turned his head!
"You two bastards, leave some for me!"
Hearing the sound, Sister-in-law Chi, who had just reached the door, couldn't help but laugh.
These three uncles are quite easy to get along with.
When they returned, Chi Dashan was giving Chi Shuxing and Xiao Suotou a bath.
The kang (heated brick bed) at home had been heated for half a day, and since it would be a waste for anyone else, everyone took a bath and washed their clothes at the same time.
Sure enough, the three newly made clothes racks are already full of clothes, packed tightly together.
"Chi Shuxing! If you make water everywhere again, believe me, I'll slap you!" Chi Dashan cursed angrily.
This son is such a worry!
Chi Shuxing, however, said righteously, "I washed it myself. Don't you want me to be independent, Dad?"
Chi Dashan:......
Where does this little brat get so many profound principles from?
They have such a comprehensive set of knowledge; I wonder who they learned it from!
"Hurry up, or it'll get dark and we won't be able to see anything!" Chi Dashan scolded, his face stern.
Where in the village would one be willing to use candles?
They all rest at sunset.
Everything was done while it was still light.
"Mom! You're back!" Chi Shuxing waved excitedly to his mother and asked loudly, "Mom, come and take a bath too, and I'll hold you while we sleep after you're done!"
Chi Dashan's face darkened.
What a wicked son he is!
"Brother, Dad won't let you sleep while holding Mom, why don't you ever learn your lesson?" Little Lockhead said in his childish voice.
Laughter immediately erupted from the other rooms.
Sister-in-law Chi blushed immediately, pinched Xiao Suotou's nose, and asked Chi Dashan in a low voice, "Have the houses been allocated yet?"
"Okay, it's all divided up. Dad and Mom will take Tangtang, Wulang, and Silang to the easternmost room, then my parents-in-law will take Xingxing and Xiaosuotou. The two of us will take our eldest brother and sister-in-law to the same room, Sihai, Xiaowu, Leshan, and Leshi to the same room, and Sanhe will take the small kang in the main room by himself."
There's no other way; we can move to the side rooms once the weather warms up. Living together like this will keep us warm and save on firewood.
As for Chi Dashan and his wife living in the same house as Li Mingfan and his wife, this kind of thing is also very common in rural areas.
Let alone peers, there are many cases where even sons and daughters-in-law live on the same kang (heated brick bed) with their parents-in-law.
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