After seeing off the last guest that evening, Xia Liang and Gu Yanxiao were exhausted. They went into the main room to say goodbye to Xia Youshun and his wife and the Xia family before riding their bikes back to the county government compound. Han Yucheng was also staying at the Gu family's house. He was going back to Beijing the next day. Xia Liang was quite touched. It was such a long journey, unlike in later years when a plane could take only a few hours. In this day and age, it would take more than two days by train. They came to the wedding, stayed overnight, and then went back.
Xia Liang and Gu Yanxiao were startled when they entered the bedroom. The room wasn't like this when they left that morning. Gu Yanxiao saw that the room was all red—red bedding, red "double happiness" characters pasted on the walls, and even on the wardrobe. In short, everything in sight was red. He went out to ask his mother what was going on, and Han Yulan smiled and said, "We can't do too much right now, so we can only decorate it casually. Anyway, no one else can see it." As she spoke, she asked Xia Liang with a smile if it looked good. What could Xia Liang say? It did look good, although it was a little bit rustic. But it was her mother-in-law's good intention, which showed that her mother-in-law valued her, so of course she was happy.
The wedding was a complete success. Xia Liang and Gu Yanxiao saw off Han Yucheng, Zhao Weiting, and the entire Xia family, as well as Xia Youshun and his wife. Xia Liang was also preparing to return to work, as her wedding leave was almost over. Gu Yanxiao, on the other hand, had taken his wedding leave along with his holiday this year, so he still had more than half a month to go. On the day Xia Liang returned to the provincial capital, the Gu family saw her off at the train station. Xia Dahe, Zhao Danxiang, and Xia Rong also came with a bundle. The group waited for their train in the waiting room. After exchanging greetings, Zhao Danxiang opened the bundle and handed it to Xia Liang, saying, "These are some food I prepared for your journey." Xia Liang took it and told them to take care of themselves. Just then, the train arrived. Gu Yanxiao carried the luggage in front, and Xia Liang followed behind. Because Gu Yanxiao was with her, they weren't too worried, fearing a repeat of what had happened before.
After another long and tiring journey, the two finally arrived in the provincial capital. After eating at a state-run restaurant, Gu Yanxiao initially planned to go to the guesthouse, but Xia Liang said, "Why don't we rent a place? I work here anyway, so you can stay if you come." Gu Yanxiao replied, "Sure! That way, I can come directly to see you during my holidays." Gu Yanxiao first took Xia Liang to her dormitory. Xia Liang saw Zhao Weiting reading in her room and invited Gu Yanxiao in as well. Although they weren't very familiar with each other, they had met many times. After exchanging greetings, Zhao Weiting told Xia Liang, "You know what? You're incredibly lucky! I saw the notice the day I came back—you got an apartment!" Xia Liang couldn't believe her ears. She was so young and already had an apartment! The two happily held hands and spun around. Gu Yanxiao was speechless.
Actually, Xia Liang shouldn't have been allocated a house based on her qualifications. She was young and hadn't worked there long enough. Some people in the factory with longer service than her hadn't been allocated a house either. But there's no way around it; some things aren't just about seniority. Xia Liang was a junior manager and a military dependent. She had also made a good impression on the leaders because of the sewing machine incident. The deputy factory director was also there when the houses were allocated. There were several people with similar qualifications and years of service who were struggling to decide who to choose. After all, if they chose one, that person would be dissatisfied, and if they chose another, that person would be dissatisfied. So they decided not to choose anyone. The deputy factory director directly suggested choosing Xia Liang. In the end, Xia Liang got a great deal and was allocated a house after only one year at the factory.
Xia Liang asked Gu Yanxiao to come with her to clean the new house the next day. Seeing Zhao Weiting looking dejected, she wondered if she was disappointed because she hadn't received a house herself. However, Zhao Weiting's earlier joy seemed genuine, so she went over and asked, "Weiting, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Zhao Weiting shook her head, "I'm fine, nothing's wrong. I just feel bad thinking about you getting a house and having to move away." Xia Liang felt guilty for her earlier despicable thoughts and said apologetically to Zhao Weiting, "It's okay. We work in the same factory, so we can eat together. I'm too lazy to cook at home, so I'll eat with you in the canteen as before." Zhao Weiting felt a little comforted and smiled, saying, "I'm still very happy for you. After all, it's a good thing. Don't let me affect your mood." These words made Xia Liang feel even more guilty.
The next day, when Xia Liang arrived at the factory, someone told her she had been allocated a room. The person speaking sounded a little envious, but Xia Liang was used to it. It was during working hours, and some people were full of envy, some were jealous, and some were resentful—all sorts of people were there, but Xia Liang didn't care. After finding a leader to complete the formalities and receiving the keys, Xia Liang finally felt it was real. She finally had a house in this era. The courtyard in the county town was still rented. Although she planned to buy it later, it wasn't truly hers yet. Only the small house she was about to move into truly belonged to her. After get off work, Xia Liang and Zhao Weiting went straight back to the dormitory. Gu Yanxiao was already waiting there, with a tricycle parked beside him. Xia Liang helped him upstairs to move things, and Zhao Weiting also helped. The largest item was a sewing machine; the rest were small items, and the three of them finished moving things in a few trips. Zhao Weiting reluctantly held Xia Liang's hand and said, "When he goes back to the army, you can come and live with me in the dormitory anytime." Xia Liang nodded in agreement. Xia Liang followed Gu Yanxiao as they moved house on a tricycle. On the way, Xia Liang asked Gu Yanxiao, "Where did you get this tricycle?" Gu Yanxiao replied, "I rented it from a comrade for one yuan." Xia Liang laughed and said, "That's really expensive!" Gu Yanxiao also smiled but didn't say anything.
Xia Liang's new home is a small two-bedroom apartment. It was originally intended for an elderly worker from the factory. It's a decent little house, about 50 square meters. To the left of the entrance is a square living room, and to the right is a bathroom, about two square meters. Next to the bathroom is the kitchen, and outside the kitchen is a balcony where clothes can be dried. The balcony connects to one of the bedrooms, and from that bedroom is another bedroom next to it. This apartment is on the third floor, much better than the previous dormitory. There are only four households on the floor, making it much quieter than before. You don't have to hide what you want to eat. Xia Liang planned how to arrange the furniture and directed Gu Yanxiao to move things. The two of them moved into the bedroom connected to the balcony, the sewing machine was moved to the other bedroom, and the small stove they had bought earlier, which was in the kitchen, was also moved in to save on charcoal. Xia Liang dragged Gu Yanxiao to buy furniture. They bought a large bed for their bedroom and a small bed for another room as a spare, just in case someone from the family came over. They also bought two basins for washing clothes in the bathroom. Xia Liang used the bicycle voucher she had been rewarded with to buy a bicycle. Today, the main thing was to get the bed sorted out, otherwise they would have nowhere to sleep tonight. Gu Yanxiao could buy the other things tomorrow if he had time. The two of them went home, washed up, and went to bed.
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