The next morning, Chen Shuning was still woken up by the alarm clock. However, the temperature had dropped below zero for the past two nights, and the fire in Chen Shuning's small house had been burning all night, so the bed was warm and cozy. Therefore, Chen Shuning wanted to stay in bed a little longer.
After comfortably lying in bed for another ten minutes, Chen Shuning thought about how much he still had to do today, so even though he was unwilling, he had no choice but to get up.
After getting dressed, she neatly folded the bedding and placed it on the kang cabinet. In the past, Chen Shuning would never have folded the bedding. She would put a honeycomb briquette in the stove before leaving, and when she came back, she would crawl into the warm bed. Just thinking about it made her feel wonderful.
But that won't work in the village. You can stay in bed, but if you get up and don't make your bed, you'll definitely be labeled as lazy.
I drew back the curtains and glanced at the sky outside. Although the rain had stopped, the sky was still overcast and the sun was nowhere to be seen. It looked like it might rain again at any time.
Although the weather was really not suitable for going out, she thought of her family's love and the landlady's life that was waving to her from afar.
Chen Shuning silently drew the curtains again, put on a set of thermal underwear under her sweater, and then opened the curtains again.
I folded the dried raincoats and put them in a bamboo basket, and then started preparing breakfast.
Perhaps because the house was small and had a stove, and also because Chen Shuning had asked Shen Dahe to seal all the gaps in the windows and doors tightly when the house was built, Chen Shuning's little house was not cold, whether it was the inner or outer room.
Wearing only a sweater, Chen Shuning first pulled out the iron trough containing honeycomb briquettes that had been burning all night and were now just yellow clay blanks, and then took the ashes that had escaped from the furnace last night to the backyard.
Whether it's honeycomb briquettes or furnace ash, they're all excellent fertilizers, so Chen Shuning always throws the furnace ash she takes out into her small plot of land in the backyard.
After accumulating this fertilizer over the winter, she might not need to use that pungent-smelling organic fertilizer on her small plot of land next year.
Most of the other people's houses had woodsheds built behind them, so apart from her small plot of land in the backyard, she didn't have any private plots.
Beyond that is the courtyard wall, behind which lies the foot of Daqingshan Mountain. There are no farmlands around. Although there are other educated youth's private plots in the front yard, according to Sister Shumei...
Because everyone here came from the city, they couldn't stand the smell of farmyard manure, so every year when they planted crops, they would rather have a poorer harvest than use manure. As a result, the educated youth settlement, which was already some distance from the village, didn't have those messy smells from the village.
We've gotten a bit off-topic. Chen Shuning, who returned from the furnace, didn't relight the fire. She didn't know when she'd be back today. Although there was plenty of coal and firewood, wasting it was shameful, so it was better to wait until she returned from town to relight the fire.
Furthermore, it's not safe to have a fire at home when no one is cooking.
After cleaning up the ashes scattered in the kitchen, Chen Shuning washed her hands and face with the hot water in the pot, then took out two custard buns and a bowl of vegetable porridge from her spatial storage and ate a simple bite.
He poured the remaining hot water from the pot into a kettle, added another pot of water, then shouldered the bamboo basket, held the kettle full of hot water in his arms like a water bag, locked the door, and prepared to go to the village entrance to take an oxcart.
As soon as Chen Shuning stepped out, he saw Wang Wenqi and Zhong Lingling coming out of the next room hand in hand.
Wang Wenqi wore a neatly ironed military uniform without shoulder or collar insignia, and his shoes, though not new, were polished to a shine.
Wang Wenqi is rarely seen wearing this outfit, so he must cherish it and not wear it normally.
Zhong Lingling was also wearing a red wool coat that she hadn't worn before, paired with a black wool long skirt of the same material, and her black leather shoes were polished to a shine.
Her hair was neatly combed into two braids, with red ribbons tied at the ends, making her look very festive.
She even had powder on her face. Although the effect of powder on the face in that era was really not flattering, Zhong Lingling's appearance was considered very fashionable by people of that time.
Zhong Lingling was clearly in a good mood. Although she was a little embarrassed when she saw Chen Shuning and shook off Wang Wenqi's hand, the smile on her face never faded.
Ignoring Wang Wenqi, who was somewhat stunned by her sudden departure, she blushed and stepped forward to take Chen Shuning's arm.
With a shy smile, she greeted in a soft voice, "Good morning, Shuning. Are you up so early to go to town too?"
Chen Shuning was going to send something to her family, so there was no point in hiding it. She smiled and said frankly, "Yes, Lingling, you look really beautiful today. Is there some good news?"
Chen Shuning had only said it casually, but he hadn't expected that she would actually guess it. Upon hearing this, Zhong Lingling lowered her head shyly, and even Wang Wenqi, a grown man, blushed.
Finally, Zhong Lingling said in a voice barely above a whisper, "Um, well, Wenqi and I are going to get our marriage certificate today. We need to go to the brigade leader to get a certificate, so, Shuning, could you please tell Grandpa Yang to wait for us? We'll be there as soon as we get the certificate, it won't take too long."
Chen Shuning never expected that her casual remark would turn out to be the truth, though she was curious about the two's sudden decision to get married.
However, Chen Shuning was never one to meddle. After only a moment of hesitation, he smiled and congratulated her, saying, "Ah, then I really have to congratulate you. You must tell me in advance when you're having the wedding so I can prepare a gift for you."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
