"Your uncle Li has been planning to install water taps in the tube building recently. He calls your father twice a day to ask him when the money will be remitted."

"Your dad must be annoyed with him too. He didn't even answer the call I made this morning."

"Haha, Uncle Li is too persistent."

"He is just like that, very stubborn and sometimes a little annoying."

"Why don't you advance the money?"

"Why else? I'm stingy!"

"He dared not touch a penny of the military funds. If it hadn't been for a discussion among them about taking a small portion of the dividends to renovate the family compound, he probably wouldn't have considered it so much."

"The renovation is good. It's really inconvenient for them to use water."

If it weren't for the original structural limitations, if she was to do it, she would at least move the kitchen in. Cooking outside all the time, and encountering troublesome neighbors, is very annoying.

“Fortunately, only a few people know about the dividends, otherwise they would definitely clamor to improve the infrastructure for everyone.”

"I've heard about the hundreds of millions of orders you signed in Guangshi. I couldn't even have a peaceful lunch. Several people came over to ask me all sorts of questions, just to find out where the money went. You're really worried for nothing. I came to your place to have some free time."

Song Fuyu herself didn't know what kind of personality everyone had created for her in private. No matter how curious everyone was about her, except for a few people she was close to, such as Liu Aihua and Wu Danniu, others would not come to her house to ask her even if they were curious. They would only ask people who were familiar with her.

"Even if I find out, what good will it do? I can't give them a single cent."

"Yeah! That's what I thought too. Some people just don't have clear minds and can't figure it out at all."

"They are just afraid that so much money will go into your pocket."

"Haha, you're overthinking it. Even if I wanted to pretend, the higher-ups wouldn't agree. Besides, I'm cooperating with the Qin City Garment Factory and the army, and the Qin City Garment Factory takes the lion's share."

"Some people just like to speculate secretly, and it doesn't make sense anyway."

"There's nothing you can do. Don't try to reason with an unreasonable person. She won't understand even if you do. She will curse you behind your back."

"That's true."

..........

On Sunday, Xiaozheng and his sister stood in the yard and watched after breakfast.

As soon as he saw Song Fuyu open the door, he ran over quickly.

"Aunt Yan, you're finally up. We've been having breakfast for a long, long time."

"Why didn't you come and call me?"

"Mom won't let us disturb your sleep."

"Come with me first and move the things we need to the yard."

Under her command, the brother and sister were very active. They went through several trips and brought out all the things needed to make dried fruits today.

"Where's your mother?"

"Mom is doing the laundry. She said she'll come over when she's done."

"We will make dried mango and pineapple today. When your mother comes, she will make cakes and bread for you."

"But mom can't do it~"

"Yes, I can. I'll teach your mother how to do it later. She's so smart, she'll definitely learn it in no time."

While waiting for Mrs. Liu to come, she was cutting fruit with her two children.

She peeled the mango and pineapple and cut them into slices. Tiantian was responsible for washing the pineapple and soaking it in salt water, while Xiaozheng was responsible for placing the mango flat on the plate.

When Liu Aihua came over after washing clothes, there was already a small pile of fruit peels on the ground.

"Fuyu, did you make everything you brought back?"

"I kept two pineapples and cut up all the mangoes. I was afraid they would go bad if I couldn't finish them, so I roasted them into jerky so they can be kept for a long time."

"That's right. Wait, I'll bring some from home and bake them together."

"Mom, can you leave a few fresh ones for us?"

"OK!"

While Liu Aihua went home to get some fruit, Song Fuyu took out the ingredients needed to make cakes and bread. In order to facilitate the production, he also brought out the table and kneading board from home.

The advantage of living in the yard is that no matter what they do, no one will watch.

No one lives on the right side now, and Huang Ying rarely comes out of the left side except during working hours, so she doesn't have to worry too much about making the move.

"Are you going to do anything else?"

"Well, the clay oven is ready to be lit. Today, we must make everything we want to cook and eat at once."

"You're better at making pastries than I am. Let's make bread first. It will take about an hour to bake and we can eat it."

"Is it the small bread sold at the supply and marketing cooperative?"

She had bought it for her sister and brother before.

A small loaf of bread costs 1.2 cents, which is 7 cents more expensive than a steamed bun.

If she were to ask herself, the bread was so firm that it was probably only one-fifth the size of a steamed bun.

"Yes and not entirely. The methods are similar, but what I make is definitely tastier than that one."

As for the cake, we will wait for Yan Ziyuan and Li Hu to come back and let them take turns whipping the cream.

While Song Fuyu was cutting fruits, he was directing Liu Aihua to make bread. The two little followers found it interesting and followed him.

"Tiantian, go to the cupboard and help Aunt Yan get a sausage and some green onions."

"Okay~"

"Can we just put the dough in your clay oven after it has risen?"

"Yes, it's not difficult to make, but the ingredients added before are more particular."

"If you like sweet food, you can add some nuts in it. If you like salty food, you can add some sausage, chopped green onions and other things, and knead them all into a ball."

The dough was fully risen and she had lit the fire.

With the previous experience of using the oven in the village, this time the bread was successful in one go. It was in perfect condition, fragrant and sweet, and crispy and soft.

It is a little harder than the one made in an electric oven, but it tastes different.

"Wow, it's so big~"

Xiaozheng came over to look at the freshly baked bread, and his saliva began to flow as he spoke, causing Song Fuyu to immediately move the plate away from him, fearing that he would drip his saliva into the bread.

"Wipe it quickly, wait a moment, it's too hot now."

"Hehe, it smells so good~"

"Are you ashamed, little brat?"

"He's almost five years old, and he's still drooling!"

Liu Aihua helplessly tapped her son’s forehead. She didn’t know who he looked like since he was so greedy, but it must have been inherited from Li Hu.

"Xiao Zheng, go call Grandma Wu over. We can eat the bread when she comes."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiaozheng ran out of the yard with a "whoosh".