Xu Aimei thought she had misheard and excitedly grabbed Jiang Dongjian, "Give us a house? We've been applying for so many years, and now we can finally get a bigger house?"
Jiang Dongjian also looked like he was hit by a pie in the sky. "I'm also confused. Why did they suddenly say they would divide it up? Director Sheng said that there is a house that has just been vacated, and it's our turn."
Song Lijuan was more excited than anyone else. "Dad, where is it? Can we get a place upstairs?"
Xu Aimei: "The room upstairs is not big, not as big as the one downstairs. If we divide the upstairs, do we have to give it back?"
Jiang Dongjian: "The Meng family moved away. They said that everyone didn't want to live in the same courtyard with them, and they were afraid that it would bring bad reputation, so they moved them to live in a single room. That house is vacant, and the Jianqiu family moved in. We will move to the original house of the Jianqiu family."
The houses that factory workers live in now are not their own, and they usually won’t live there forever. They start applying from the moment they get married, and it may take a long time to get a single room of a few square meters. As their years of work and wages increase, and they have more children, they can continue to apply for a bigger house, about 10 square meters. For someone like Jiang Dongjian, he can usually live in a house of at least 40 square meters.
Moreover, not every factory has its own large family housing area. Sometimes several factories work together and have a general housing management department. In addition to the auto parts factory, there are also machinery factories, textile factories, radio factories and building materials factories nearby. The family housing area is a few factories next to each other, and over time, they have been sharing what they need. Especially for couples who are not in the same factory, the allocation of housing depends on the length of service and the type of work.
Xu Aimei had been able to get a room at the textile factory a long time ago, but Brother Jiang never had one at the radio factory, and the whole family is still squeezed into two small rooms.
"Jianqiu's house? Her house has three rooms, twice as big as ours and even bigger than Meng Kaiping's. How come she moves to a smaller and smaller house?" Xu Aimei, Song Lijuan and others were all shocked.
The two main rooms they currently have are about 20 square meters in size. Because the width and depth are narrow, the three rooms of Meng Kaiping's family add up to 40 square meters, while Jianqiu's family has three larger rooms, which are almost 50 square meters.
Most people move to bigger houses. Who would move to a small house?
Jiang Dongjian: "The Jianqiu family and the Guo family have been at odds for many years. Now they are at loggerheads and hate each other. The Jianqiu family simply moved out."
The two families were the opposite of Jiang Dongjian's. Jiang Dongjian's family basically tolerated everything they could for the sake of face, but those two families could not tolerate even trivial matters, so the two families quarreled fiercely, and there was chaos all day long. But after six or seven years of quarreling, there was nothing they could do. After all, it was not easy to get a suitable house. Now that Meng Kaiping's family was driven away, Jianqiu's family could not bear it any longer.
Jiang Lin: "Is it difficult to get along with the Guo family? Is it okay for us to move there?"
Xu Aimei: "He likes to take advantage and is a bit of a nag. Anyway, each family lives their own life, so he can't take advantage of much."
Song Lijuan: "If you borrow a large cabbage, you will get a small cabbage back; if you borrow a sieve of coal, you will get half a sieve back; if you borrow a large scoop of flour, you will get a flat scoop back..."
Jiang Lin smiled and said, "That's fine. Just let Director Fan talk to his family."
When she came back this time, she sent Meng Yiyi to the police station. The neighbors around her saw it all. They only knew that Meng Yiyi was cheating money and spreading rumors, but they didn't know the details, so they always thought that she was amazing or that the man she found was amazing, which invisibly raised the prestige of the Jiang family and they dared not offend them easily.
Jiang Dongjian felt that although Lao Guo liked to take advantage of others, he was not a bad person. At least he didn't steal or cheat. If you didn't lend him money, he would just complain or say that you were stingy, but he wouldn't do anything serious.
He was badly cheated by the Meng family. Compared with the Meng family, he felt that these neighbors were actually not bad.
Yan Runzhi was also very happy and congratulated the Jiang family. "Neighbors are made by getting along with each other. We should not tolerate bad ones and try not to care about small faults. We can't not move to a bigger house just for a neighbor. It's not easy for you to live in the city. Food, drink, defecation and urination cost a lot of money. With so many people in the family, the house should be bigger."
Xu Aimei and the others came to their senses and looked at Jiang Lin and Cheng Rushan, thinking it was too coincidental. The rumors about their daughter were resolved, and the family moved to a bigger house. How could it be such a coincidence?
Xu Aimei: "Rushan? The person you're looking for?"
Cheng Rushan shook his head, "No, it should be when the time comes."
Jiang Xinglei: "Mom, I..."
Xu Aimei: "Don't interrupt me. It must be you who helped me. I'm happy. Thank you very much."
Cheng Rushan: "Mom, I really didn't do anything."
Jiang Xinglei was extremely anxious: "Mom, I'm going..."
"Why are you going? Just don't cause any trouble." Xu Aimei didn't give her unemployed son any room to speak.
Jiang Xinglei: ...I'd better remain mute.
Xu Aimei said to Yan Runzhi and Cheng Yunzhi, "We are all blessed to have the help of our in-laws. Now that you are here, we will be well too." Although she didn't know what was going on, Xu Aimei felt that it must be related to Cheng Rushan.
Yan Runzhi smiled and said, "Yes, we are all blessed. You raised a good daughter, and we have a good son."
The two relatives started a shameless business mode of praising each other, and Song Lijuan also joined in, praising each other with all her might.
When Yan Runzhi saw people praising Bao'er's mother, she forgot that the other person was Bao'er's mother, and immediately started praising her daughter-in-law endlessly.
Others may not like to hear this, but my mother likes it. She listened to it while being modest and said, "No, no, that girl has a stubborn temper."
Xu Aimei felt that it was a true story. Her daughter seemed to be quite good. Although she had a stubborn temper and cold personality when she was young, wasn't that just because she was young and ignorant? Now that she is married, she has a man who loves her, parents-in-law and children. Isn't she a different person? Although she didn't like her daughter much, she didn't hate her own children either. She just neglected to manage them. When her mood changes, her feelings seem to change accordingly.
Jiang Lin felt like she was about to sweat, so she quickly pulled Cheng Rushan over to prepare to make dumplings.
Jiang Xinglei came close to Jiang Lin and said, "Sister, why don't I know your temper..."
"What? Am I not nice to you?" Jiang Lin rolled her eyes at him and said, "It's okay for me to sweat, but you should stop complaining."
Jiang Xinglei sighed. Now in this family, he had no status at all.
To be honest, people say that his mother is partial to him, but only he knows the bitterness of it.
When did his mother ever praise him? After finally buying meat, he only earned a sentence: "You are the only one who eats white rice at home. If you can't even buy a piece of meat, you are worse than Qinqin, who washes the dishes."
Jiang Lin discussed with Cheng Rushan, "How about asking Qian Bo to come for dinner?"
Cheng Rushan: "You should ask your parents, right?"
Jiang Lin went to ask Xu Aimei.
Xu Aimei thought about it. She had some impression of Qian Bo. He was her daughter's classmate. He had acne all over his face and looked silly in school. Now he has no acne on his face and looks much more handsome. He is not so silly. On that day, when the Meng family threatened to kill themselves, he still spoke for the Jiang family. Xu Aimei's impression of him has improved a lot.
"Okay, it's just a matter of adding a pair of chopsticks." If someone accepts it, then it's just a matter of adding a pair of chopsticks. If someone doesn't accept it, then everything will be inappropriate.
Cheng Rushan was about to go and call, but Jiang Lin said, "Jiang Xinglei, you go."
The errand boy Jiang Xinglei obeyed the order obediently, ran around to look for Qian Bo, and grabbed him in the cafeteria when he was about to get his meal.
"My brother-in-law asked you to go to dinner."
Qian Bo: "Cheng Rushan? He asked me to have dinner?"
Jiang Xinglei: "It's just as well that you don't go. We still don't have enough Spanish mackerel dumplings to eat."
Qianbo: "Of course! Go, go, go, don't let it get cold."
When the two were walking towards Jiang's house, they unexpectedly ran into Lu Hang.
Today, Lu Hang wore a red hand-knitted woolen sweater, a green Type 65 military uniform on the outside, blue trousers, a pair of black leather shoes, and a green military cap without a five-pointed star on his head. He was fiddling with it on the side of the road, looking conceited but actually looking eye-catching.
Seeing Qian Bo and Jiang Xinglei, he immediately put his hands in his pockets and stood in front of them, "Where are you going?"
Jiang Xinglei: "Let's go home for dinner." He was a little afraid of Lu Hang at first, but after seeing his silly side, he was not so scared anymore.
Lu Hang glanced at Qian Bo, raised his eyebrows, curled his lips and said disdainfully: "I'm talking about you, what are you doing?"
Qianbo said proudly: "Let's eat! Linlin invited me to dinner!"
Lu Hang was immediately provoked and reached out to grab Qian Bo's collar, "You want to die, don't you? I haven't even been there to eat."
Jiang Xinglei: "Lu Hang, what are you doing? My sister asked him to go eat."
Although Qian Bo was afraid that Lu Hang would beat him up, he couldn't help but say something mean, "Lu Hang, didn't you go and try to please the female college student from the workers, peasants and soldiers? You couldn't please her, so you're making a fuss again? Linlin is married, has a man and has children, don't let your imagination run wild, or you'll be beaten up by Cheng Rushan."
"Beat me?" Lu Hang opened his eyes wide with a fierce look, and slapped Qianbo on the shoulder hard, causing Qianbo to stagger.
"I'm warning you not to slander me to Linlin. I just took a look at that female college student and she looked a bit like Linlin, but after looking at her a few more times, I found that they were not. Her nose was too big! Her teeth were too yellow!"
Jiang Xinglei: ...You are seriously ill. I must let my brother-in-law beat you up.
Qian Bo: "Lv Hang, you are shameless. You are a playboy. You are insulting Linlin when you say you like her."
"You... humph!" Lu Hang sneered and waved his fist, trying not to hit Qian Bo in the face. "Okay, I won't beat you up, I'll let you have a good meal. I tell you, if this happened somewhere else and he talked to me like this, I would have beaten him to pieces and he wouldn't be able to have children even if he got married!"
Jiang Xinglei pulled Qianbo and ran away. Don't deal with a psychopathic idiot, especially one who can fight. To avoid getting beaten, it is better to talk to his brother-in-law.
Lu Hang would hang around the auto parts factory whenever he had time, hoping to see Jiang Lin. He wanted to tell Jiang Lin that he had sent the letter to the police station to file another complaint against Meng Yiyi, but he didn't see Jiang Lin and instead ran into Qian Bo going to her house for dinner. He felt so sad.
Take out the photos and take a look. There is no comparison between black and white photos and real people.
That Cheng Rushan is her husband. I don’t know what the child will look like. Humph, it will definitely not be as pretty as the one she and Linlin have. What a pity!
Qianbo and Jiang Xinglei arrived at Jiang's house. They greeted everyone first, and then went to the group of children including Wensheng, Dabao and Xiaobao to greet them again.
Dabao and Xiaobao looked at each other and thought, since the potential educated youth has become our side, he is not a bad man, so be nice to him.
Dabao nodded, and Xiaobao took out two pieces of candy and put them in Qianbo's hand, as if he was rewarding you.
Qianbo: Why do I feel like I’m recognized by some important people?
"Brother Cheng! Sister Lin!" Qian Bo bowed to Cheng Rushan and Jiang Lin.
Jiang Lin: ...
Cheng Rushan said calmly: "My parents invited you to dinner."
Qianbo: “It’s Brother Cheng, they’re your parents.” Not my parents, I know this is your point.
When it was time for dinner, the children put the radio up high. They didn't want to eat with the adults and insisted on having their own table so that they could clink glasses like the adults.
Although there was no wine, they had orange juice. Qinqin was the host and took turns pouring wine for them. The children toasted and said hello to their in-laws and brothers...
Jiang Lin was almost blown away by the thunder.
Spanish mackerel dumplings have the freshness of fish meat, the aroma of pork fat, and the unique flavor of leeks. They are extremely delicious.
Pork stewed with potatoes and beans has a rich and mellow gravy. After the vegetables absorb the gravy, the taste and flavor become more layered and varied. It is so delicious that you don't want to talk.
Song Lijuan was stunned. The little old lady from the country was such a great cook. The food was so delicious!
Cheng Rushan saw Qian Bo was trembling with fear and gave him a look, "Just eat, don't be nervous."
Qian Bo had just picked up a piece of meat when he heard Cheng Rushan talking. He was so frightened that he shivered and fell down.
Jiang Xinglei's chopsticks have built-in detectors, so he immediately picked up the meat and ate it.
Qianbo glared at him and said: I was the one who picked it up.
Jiang Xinglei: If it’s not in your mouth, it’s not yours.
During the meal, I could still hear the Meng family crying. Although I didn't dare to scold them, I still cried. Meng Yiyi was detained and sentenced to prison, and the family's house was taken back. They were not convinced at first and wanted to sue someone, but the office said, "It's good that we didn't reduce your salary." They had to shut up and move out obediently, crying and wiping tears while moving.
It was really annoying to see them crying for a whole day and a night, and the neighbors all hoped that they would leave quickly.
Qian Bo: "The Meng family moved out and left three large houses vacant. I don't know who will get them."
Jiang Xinglei: "Haha, it's not your turn yet."
Qianbo: "As if it's your turn."
Jiang Xinglei straightened his neck proudly.
Qian Bo: “…No way?”
Jiang Xinglei: "Give it to Jianqiu's family."
Qianbo: "Tsk, I thought it was you."
Jiang Xinglei: "Let's move to Jianqiu's house."
Qianbo's eyes widened. "Is this true? Jianqiu's house is bigger. Congratulations. Ask me to help you move."
Jiang Xinglei: I see that you want to come for dinner.
After dinner, Yan Runzhi, Xu Aimei and other adults talked in the house.
The children formed their own small groups. Dabao and Xiaobao led Wensheng to sing operas such as "The White-Haired Girl" and "The Red Lantern". Then Qinqin and the others performed the school's program and sang songs such as "On the Golden Mountain in Beijing".
Qian Bo and Jiang Xinglei were enjoying the talk very much.
Seeing that the children were having a great time and Wensheng was having no problem, Jiang Lin talked to her elder and second brothers to see if they could buy parts to assemble a radio, and then ask Cheng Rushan to take it to the countryside. Radios are rare in the countryside now, but unfortunately they are hard to buy, one reason being that they are expensive and there are no coupons. There is one in the brigade, and a lot of people gather there to listen to it all day. If the price is cheaper and there is no need for coupons, the people will still want to buy it. When getting married, a sewing machine, a radio, a bicycle, a watch, if you have one of these, it is enough for the country people to show off.
Brother Jiang was a temporary worker who only went to junior high school. He learned some of the knowledge he gained later while working in a factory. He could only assemble things step by step, so he was not capable of innovation.
Brother Jiang is different. He was a junior during the Cultural Movement. He attended a formal provincial university, the best in the province, and learned very solid knowledge.
He is now a technical backbone of the radio factory, earning 62 yuan a month as a 12th-level worker. In fact, according to his ability, he should have been a 9th-level worker, the top level of technicians, and he should have been more than qualified to enter the ranks of engineers. If he were an engineer, the minimum salary would be more than 100 yuan.
Seeing that he had no fighting spirit, Jiang Lin asked his second brother, who was heard to work hard in the factory and never asked for any benefits. For example, he should be rated for salary level, and he was indifferent when others took away his opportunities. As a result, some people became more and more demanding, and when it was Brother Jiang's turn, they would either shamelessly say something, or go to the office without any warning and directly say that Jiang Xingye didn't want it and gave it to them, not to mention the opportunity to allocate housing.
He is a closed person and no one can talk to him. If he didn't have a wife and children to support, I'm afraid I don't know what he would do.
Seeing that his worldview had collapsed and he had lost his goals in life, Jiang Lin knew that he was stuck in a rut and it would be difficult to persuade him out of his rut. She could only let him figure it out on his own.
She said to Jiang Erge, "Brother, can we buy some radio parts and assemble them ourselves? Many people in our village want to buy one. I have one at home, and they are all envious."
Brother Jiang: "You can buy them. They sell electronic tubes and other things. You can buy a few circuit boards and other parts and then you can assemble them."
Whether materials are in short supply or not is a relative concept. If there is a shortage in the countryside, there may not be a shortage in the city. If there is a shortage in the market, there will naturally be no shortage in the factory.
There are also some parts available on the market for people to buy.
Brother Jiang heard them talking about assembling a radio and said, "Nowadays, transistors are used instead of vacuum tubes. Minerals and the like are even more old-fashioned."
Brother Jiang: "Brother, transistors are expensive."
Brother Jiang: "That was in the past. It's cheaper now."
When transistors first came on the market, they were very expensive. A diode cost more than one yuan, and a triode cost more than three yuan. At this time, Brother Jiang said that a diode would only cost 20 cents, and it would be a few cents cheaper if you bought it from the factory. But you have to be selective when buying diodes, and if you don't choose well, they will be bad. So even if they are available for sale, you still have to know how to choose, or rely on luck.
Seeing that he actually offered to help, Jiang Lin smiled and said, "Brother, how do we choose?"
Brother Jiang explained to them, "It's simple, just use a multimeter to measure the resistance of the diode." He explained briefly.
Jiang Lin poked Cheng Rushan: "Do you understand?"
Cheng Rushan: "..." I haven't even studied physics. When he was in junior high school, Chinese in rural schools was about family history, mathematics was about calculating work points, and biological science was about fermenting fertilizer. He didn't want to tell her.
Brother Jiang glanced at Brother Jiang.
Jiang Lin: "I understand."
Brother Jiang: "Let me buy it for you. I'll bring it back tomorrow to have a look."
Jiang Lin: "If you can help us assemble a demo, we'll pay you. By the way, don't forget the radios for your two nephews."
Brother Jiang thought that I didn't seem to agree, but I didn't refuse either. As for children, as long as they don't refuse the requests of adults, they agree. This is their logic.
Brother Jiang had no choice but to nod and say, "Okay."
Second Brother Jiang said that there was a box of miscellaneous spare parts at home, which was a good time to pick them out. He went to move it out and started looking through it with his eldest brother.
Seeing this, Cheng Rushan pulled Jiang Lin's hand and motioned her to go out. He patted Qianbo and said, "You should go back."
Qianbo wanted to say that he could play for a while longer, but Cheng Ge drove him away and he had to obey. So he said goodbye to Xu Aimei, Yan Runzhi and others, and followed Cheng Rushan and Jiang Lin out.
Jiang Xinglei followed happily, but was rejected by Cheng Rushan, who asked him to stay at home to look after the children.
Jiang Xinglei: “…”
After going out, Jiang Lin talked to Qianbo about subscribing to the magazine.
Qianbo: "Okay, that is... why do you subscribe to this magazine?"
Cheng Rushan: "Study the secrets of mental illness and how to turn normal people into mental patients."
Qianbo: ... I just asked unnecessary questions. He felt a little aggrieved again, and he had to regain the sense of superiority of going out to eat. He said to Jiang Lin: "That bastard Lu Hang was just hanging around here, Sister Lin, you better be careful and don't go out alone."
Jiang Lin: "What Lu Hang? I don't even know this person."
Cheng Rushan: “…”
After saying goodbye to Qian Bo at the intersection, Cheng Rushan took Jiang Lin's hand and went out for a walk, "Let's go to the movies."
Jiang Lin: "Do you have a ticket?"
Cheng Rushan: "Just go to the door and buy it now."
Jiang Lin: "No, it's too late to buy it now. You have to use connections to get it." Either you need an invoice from the unit, or you need to buy it internally. If you want to buy it from the window, it's like buying a train ticket during the Spring Festival travel rush. You will definitely not be able to buy it.
"Let's go and try it."
Then Jiang Lin realized what Cheng Rushan meant by buying it now. It turned out that he was buying it from a young couple who came to see the movie.
The original price of the movie ticket, plus a bag of wedding candy, because he finally married the girl he loved, and planned to treat her to a movie before returning to the countryside.
Seeing how handsome he was and how pretty his wife was, the young man felt jealous and refused to agree, "We got it with great difficulty, we want to see it too."
I also want to have a relationship.
The young woman saw that Cheng Rushan was so handsome and Jiang Lin was so beautiful. It was true love for a country boy to marry a city girl. It was a touching story. Although she did not have the courage to marry the country boy, she wanted to praise Jiang Lin's spirit of dedication to love.
"Take it, no need to pay, we were given it by others." The girl was very generous.
Jiang Lin smiled and said, "You still have to pay the money."
The girl took the wedding candy. This paper package was more valuable than the movie ticket. "Enjoy the movie."
Cheng Rushan waved to them and thanked them.
Although the young man was not happy about it, his girlfriend hinted that he could go to her dormitory, so he happily followed her.
Jiang Lin glanced at Cheng Rushan and asked, "Have you asked for leave from Dabao and Xiaobao?"
Cheng Rushan smiled and said, "Yes, Dabao and Xiaobao will accompany grandpa and grandma tonight."
At this time, the movie started to open, and more and more young men and women came.
Jiang Lin saw that there were so many people, but no one was holding hands. He was the only one who was bold, so she wanted to pull her hand back. But he stretched out his arm and hugged her waist.
Jiang Lin: “!!!”
The young people around stared at them with wide eyes. Oh my god, they are so bold. They want to hug each other and then go home to hug behind closed doors. They are hugging in front of the cinema. Do you want to be arrested and charged with hooliganism?
Cheng Rushan hugged Jiang Lin and said, "Wife, my legs are not good anymore. Why don't you go back to your parents' home? I can't be a burden to you."
Jiang Lin: “!!!”
Cheng Rushan told her to go back to her parents' home, but he held her in his arms and walked towards the cinema, pinching her slender waist.
Jiang Lin: "...What are you talking about? We are husband and wife, and we will be husband and wife for life. Your leg will definitely get better. Let's watch a movie first."
Seeing her trying hard to hold back her laughter, Cheng Rushan's pretty fair face took on a rosy hue, making her even brighter and more attractive. He almost couldn't help but kiss her.
Others listened and thought, "Oh, how touching! His legs are in bad condition. Such a tall and handsome young man, his legs are in bad condition. How pitiful."
Jiang Lin quietly poked Cheng Rushan's waist and told him to be more careful and not to be so funny all the time. She found that after they got to know each other, he would sometimes act a little childish in front of her, probably because he was infected by Dabao, Xiaobao and Wensheng. They followed the crowd into the dark, and Jiang Lin was suddenly dragged aside by him.
She was about to ask what he was doing, but he held her in his arms and kissed her.
Jiang Lin: There are people walking around!
Jiang Lin was held tightly in his arms and kissed until she almost suffocated. It was not until fewer and fewer people entered that he finally took her in.
Jiang Lin licked her lips and whispered, "You're going too far."
They are not unmarried young people who come here to kiss secretly. Although they have no chance to be affectionate during the day because there are many people around, they should still sleep together at night.
Cheng Rushan chuckled and just held her hand and walked forward to find a seat.
It was a large and spacious screening room with dozens of rows of seats. Even though the lights were on, it was still dark and one had to bend down and lower their head to see the seat numbers clearly.
Although they were husband and wife, the conservative customs at that time made Jiang Lin feel like she was having an affair in a movie theater.
Cheng Rushan is too extravagant!
Even the couple in bed weren't enough for him, so he had to sneak around in the cinema to do it openly.
The movie was "Second Spring" which was released last year. It tells the story of the ups and downs of my country's maritime military industry from Soviet aid to the breakup. Although the slogans were serious and class struggle ran through the whole film, Jiang Lin watched it with great interest.
After the movie was over, they walked back to the auto parts factory. On the way, Jiang Lin asked Cheng Rushan: "There are spies in many movies. Our struggle is so strict, where do so many spies come from?"
Cheng Rushan held her hand and said, "Yes, there are some who have been lurking for many years, some who were airdropped, some who crossed the sea, and some who returned from overseas. There are more spies especially in the southernmost part of the country."
Jiang Lin laughed, "You said it as if you knew it."
Cheng Rushan smiled and said, "Let's go, we have to go back and say something nice to the gatekeeper."
…
The next day Xu Aimei and Jiang Dongjian rested.
After breakfast, when everyone had gone to work or school, they went to take a look at the new house. Meng Kaiping's family had already moved out, and Jianqiu's family was also moving. There was nothing much at the moment, so the neighbors helped move it before going to work and it was almost done.
"Lao Jiang, congratulations, you finally moved into a bigger house."
Old Guo stood aside, looking at the main house with envy. He came up to Jiang Dongjian, smiled and handed him a cigarette, "Brother Jiang, come and have a smoke."
Jiang Dongjian: "I don't smoke."
Our family’s financial situation is tight, so we can’t afford to smoke. It would be great if we could use the money to buy some snacks for the children.
Lao Guo wanted to take his family to make tea again, Jiang Dongjian said: "Lao Guo, don't bother, I have to go take a look."
Lao Guo said, "Brother Jiang, you see, my family of seven or eight people are squeezed into this small house. My mother is over eighty years old, her legs and feet are not good, and she is afraid of cold legs. Living in this east wing, there is not a single day that she is comfortable."
Jiang Dongjian: "Old cold legs are uncomfortable. Our second son coughs when it's cold, which is also uncomfortable."
Old Guo sighed, "Yes, you can imagine how uncomfortable the old man must be. Brother Jiang, can you…"
Before he could say anything, Jiang Lin came over and said with a smile, "Uncle Guo, what are you talking about?"
Lao Guo immediately smiled and said, "Linlin is getting prettier and prettier. She found a good man and her child is so cute and good-looking. She is so lucky."
Jiang Lin smiled and said, "Thank you, Uncle Guo." She said to Jiang Dongjian, "Dad, this house belongs to the whole family. Your words don't count."
Don't let others trick you into doing good things. Give the house to them.
Jiang Dongjian's face flushed, and he said hurriedly, "I know, your uncle Guo and I were chatting, and he didn't mention changing houses."
Lao Guo's face suddenly turned awkward. He was exposed by Jiang Lin before he could say anything. He felt a little embarrassed. The other party clearly disagreed. If he continued to talk, it would be shameless and disgusting, so he changed the subject and talked about something else.
Because of Jiang Lin's interruption, the matter was aborted before it even started, and no one else knew about it.
After viewing the house and getting the keys, Xu Aimei suggested accompanying Yan Runzhi and his wife and children to a nearby park, and then go to the state-owned vegetable market together to buy vegetables and exchange tips and interesting stories about buying vegetables.
Xu Aimei said to Yan Runzhi: "It would be great if you could come into the city too, so we can keep each other company."
Yan Runzhi smiled and said, "It's harder than climbing to the sky to go to the city. In our place, only people in the city can go to the countryside, but no one from the countryside can go to the city. When you retire, you can live in the countryside. Our countryside is spacious and there are not many people." Jiang Erge and Jiang Xinglei are both unemployed. In two years, Xu Aimei will retire and one of her sons can take over.
At this time, regular workers can take over, so unless someone makes a mistake and is deprived of his job or there are other jobs available, outsiders are generally not allowed to enter the factory. Even if they are recruiting, they are only open to high school graduates.
When they came home from shopping, they found Jiang Lin and Jiang Xinglei at home. Jiang Lin was talking about designing a stove for their new home.
Dabao and Xiaobao immediately came over and said, "Mom, can we go visit the factories of our uncles tomorrow?"
They visited the auto parts factory yesterday and also wanted to visit the radio factory.
The radio factory was a military factory in the 1950s and 1960s. It was not until the late 1960s that it was converted to civilian use. Today, it produces a variety of radios and other civilian products. Dabao and Xiaobao are very curious and want to go and see. The uncle really promised to give them a radio each. It is not easy to get a finished product. The policy is very strict. Brother Jiang buys the parts and assembles them himself. Anyway, it is the same for him.
Jiang Lin: "You guys go, mom and dad are going to help grandma build a stove tomorrow."
Jiang Lin took out another fifty kilograms of food coupons and gave them to Xu Aimei, "Mom, this is from Cheng Rushan."
Xu Aimei: "Why give so much? You're only staying for five or six days, thirty kilograms is enough."
Jiang Lin: "Mom, just take it. We have land in the countryside, and food is easier to get than in the city."
Xu Aimei thought that it would be very tight for her family to eat so much, so she accepted it.
Yan Runzhi asked what they were going to do in the evening. Today she and Xu Aimei were cooking together.
Jiang Lin glanced at the rooster outside and said, "I calculated with my fingers that today is a good day to eat chicken."
Everybody laughed.
Dabao: "I calculated it last night, let's eat chicken."
Xiaobao: "The glutton in my stomach wants to eat chicken."
Vincent: ...I want to say, but I can’t, eat chicken.
So everyone unanimously decided to eat the rooster today and not wait until tomorrow.
Yan Runzhi: "Bao'er's mother, is it still stewed chicken?"
Jiang Lin casually asked, "How about a big plate of chicken?"
A large family is always short of oil and water, so plain stews are not satisfying. Only dishes with thick oil and red sauce can be considered as main dishes.
She can eat but not cook, but that doesn't stop her from knowing the general steps. Every foodie once thought that they were a good cook, but most people failed again and again with a good feeling and realized that they were still good eaters, but it was not wrong to yearn for cooking.
She told Yan Runzhi how to make the big plate chicken. The key is to stir-fry the sugar color. This is not difficult for Yan Runzhi. Xu Aimei took out all the rock sugar she had saved at home, and added a spoon of white sugar. It was basically enough. Stir-fry the chicken with sugar color, various seasonings, add cooking wine, and stew with water. The steps are very simple. Because there are many children, they can only add peppers and green peppers when the stew is done.
Jiang Lin said to Xu Aimei, "Mom, please find a way to help my second brother get in shape and eat something nutritious." Eating eggs, noodles, milk and the like regularly can help strengthen his physical fitness.
Xu Aimei sighed, "Your second brother has damaged his vitality. He coughs when the weather gets cold and can't eat well. It's especially cold in winter, which makes it worse."
There are problems everywhere at home, and they can't be fixed in a day or two. Fortunately, after so many years, my family has basically gotten used to it.
Song Lijuan was cooking hawthorn in syrup to satisfy the children's cravings. She brought a small bowl to Jiang Lin and Xu Aimei. When she heard them talking about Jiang Erge, she said, "Mom, now we are moving to the big house over there. Why don't we build a kang like my aunt's? Aunt said that in the countryside, sleeping on a kang is warm in the winter and it doesn't get damp even if you burn firewood in the summer. It's better than a bed."
At first, Song Lijuan was still concerned about the medical expenses of Jiang Erge. After a long time, she got to know Jiang Erge and knew that he was kind. She not only stopped caring but also took the initiative to care about him. Especially after they had a child, her husband was still lukewarm and was not as good as the second uncle in taking care of the child. Song Lijuan treated Jiang Erge better and even gave him Xiao Luo's milk. After all, she was the only daughter-in-law, without other sisters-in-law, so the conflicts were much smaller.
Xu Aimei was a little hesitant, "There's no one like this around, will it be..." Everyone sleeps on beds, will they be laughed at if they build a kang?
Jiang Lin: "Mom, I feel more comfortable sleeping on a kang in the countryside. It's warm in winter and cool in summer. The kang is big, and the children can play and do homework on it. Or you can make one room and have a bed in the other." The room is big and can be divided into north and south. The main room can also be separated into a small north room to put a small bed in. When Qinqin grows up, the girl can sleep by herself.
The key point is that she checked and found a flue on the wall of the house. The floor of the house was made of mud, not cement. There must have been a kang at the beginning, but she didn't know why the kang was removed later.
Jiang Lin brought a piece of paper over and borrowed Qinqin's pencil to draw them in proportion. She had been to the house and had a good idea of the shape and size, so she designed the functions of each part of the room with just a few strokes.
Qinqin looked at it curiously and said in surprise: "Aunt, there is also my room?"
Jiang Lin smiled and said, "You are a girl. You should sleep by yourself when you grow up. You can't always sleep in the same bed with your brother, right?"
Qinqin was very envious; "But my mother..." She looked at Song Lijuan.
Song Lijuan wanted to say something about girls, but when she saw Jiang Lin, she immediately shut up and said, "If your sister-in-law can arrange a place for you, you can live there." Anyway, she is the only one with children in the family and there are no other sisters-in-law. Her children always get the advantage. If her parents-in-law don't dislike their granddaughter, how can she dislike her daughter?
Qinqin immediately grabbed Jiang Lin's arm excitedly: "Aunt, my mother said it's okay."
Jiang Lin carefully designed it, building a Kang on the south side of the east room, and placing an original bed on the north side, with cabinets and furniture in the middle. In the cold winter, Xu Aimei and her husband, along with Jiang Erge and Jiang Xinglei, could sleep on the Kang. In the hot summer, they could sleep separately, and a curtain could be hung in the middle to block the heat.
On the south side of the main room, there is a stove for cooking, against the east wall. On the west side, there are stoves, gas stoves, small water tanks and buckets. In the middle is an aisle. On the north side, there is a small room separated by wooden boards, where a small bed can be placed. Some shelves can be placed on the wall to store things.
Jiang Dongjian and Cheng Yunzhi also came to see it and they both thought it was good.
Jiang Lin said, "Dad, take Cheng Rushan to get some bricks and adobes, and we'll help you build a kang and a stove."
Jiang Xinglei couldn't help but laugh at her, "Sister, don't brag, my brother-in-law can do it, just forget it."
Jiang Lin: "Why? I've been in the countryside for so many years, and I've seen a lot. Do you think people are just like you, idle around all day?"
In the past, Xu Aimei would have criticized her daughter for not giving face to her brother. Now she also said, "After your sister and the others leave, you should go back to Chengguan and work hard. Don't run back home for no reason."
Jiang Xinglei: "I'm selling handkerchiefs for my sister now." He ran to Yan Runzhi who was picking vegetables, "Aunt, you can make more of those small patterns, city people are rare. Oh, right, not only handkerchiefs, vests, and handbags, but also school bags, shoulder bags, you can make them. Cotton cloth, sturdy, embroidered with some patterns, it's very pretty."
Yan Runzhi: "Any girl can do simple embroidery. Anyone want to buy it?"
Jiang Xinglei laughed and said, "Aunt, you are too flattering to them. What can they do? Our classmates are lucky enough to be able to sew buttons by themselves, and they are so ugly."
He was of course exaggerating when he said this. At that time, although girls could not embroider or cut clothes, they could still mend their clothes if they were torn.
In the afternoon, Cheng Rushan came back from outside. Jiang Lin took him to look at the designed kang, stove, etc. in the house. Cheng Rushan helped her to improve them and told her about Dai Guohua and Duan Changan.
Dai Guohua has been running goods around the provincial capital these days. He brought Duan Changan with him, so Cheng Rushan didn't have to go. The next time Dai Guohua has something to do, Cheng Rushan can take Duan Changan with him. Cheng Rushan calculated that these two days are about the same, so he went to ask and discuss the time, and pick them up when it is convenient. It is estimated that they can stay for two more days.
Duan Changan ran well with Dai Guohua. The young man was eloquent and got along well with Dai Guohua. Dai Guohua said that he would bring Duan Changan with him as if he had a radio. The young man loved to sing and talk, which was pretty good.
Jiang Lin praised him, "You have good taste and know how to choose."
Cheng Rushan took a quick look and saw Xu Aimei and Yan Runzhi plucking feathers from a turkey chicken, Cheng Yunzhi and Jiang Dongjian playing chess, Song Lijuan picking vegetables, and Wensheng and a group of children fiddling with a radio and a telescope...
He quickly kissed Jiang Lin on the cheek, and then he saw Jiang Xinglei open his mouth, and the piece of apple he had bitten fell out.
Cheng Rushan continued talking to Jiang Lin as if nothing had happened, and even rubbed her blushing cheeks with the back of his fingers to cool her down.
Jiang Lin glared at him and Cheng Rushan laughed.
Jiang Xinglei: ...shameless.
Cheng Rushan told Jiang Lin: "By the way, I met Sun Qinghui by chance today. He didn't pass the recruitment exam, but Ye Jing did. There was another one who passed." There were six people coming back this time, and it was pretty good that two of them passed.
Jiang Lin was also happy for them, "Will Sun Qinghui and the others go back with us?"
"I don't know what time Dai Guohua and his friends will come. I didn't make an appointment with them."
Cheng Rushan and Jiang Lin went there together to look at the house, measured the dimensions, calculated how many bricks, cement boards, wood, cement, etc. were needed, added the surplus amount, wrote it down and gave it to Jiang Dongjian.
The quantity needed is not large, and we can borrow a tractor from the auto parts factory to pull it back in one go.
Building material factories do not produce cement and bricks and tiles, but they produce prefabricated parts such as cement boards, and stockpile large quantities of bricks and tiles. This is why they exchange what they have with the brick and tile factories, and they can ask people nearby to use the brick and tile factories' receipts to transport goods.
Cheng Rushan gave the person in charge two packs of cigarettes and bought the bricks, cement boards, cement, wood, etc. they needed, after all, they didn't need much. He saw some wheat straw, which was used to pad items to prevent them from being bumped, piled on the ground, so he asked Jiang Dongjian to bring some back, chop it up and mix it with mud to make the kang.
After they bought the parts, Brother Jiang also came back from get off work, carrying a bag of parts and going to assemble radios for Dabao and Xiaobao.
The children including Vincent immediately gathered around.
Fortunately, the radio was assembled for Dabao and Xiaobao. If it was for someone else, Qinqin and Xiaoke would definitely be jealous and unhappy. Dad didn't assemble it for them, but it was Uncle Er who assembled it. But because it was Dabao and Xiaobao, they felt it was their duty, and they also wanted to give the best things to their two younger brothers.
Soon the big plate of chicken was ready, and the aroma spread to several alleys. Xu Aimei shouted, "It's time to eat."
The chickens we raise at home eat grains and wild vegetables. Not only is the meat delicious, but the skin is also firm and elastic, and tastes sticky and springy. The texture and taste are great.
The whole family was enjoying the meal, and Song Lijuan herself even said, "Today's chicken tastes better than that day's."
Xiao Ke: "Grandma's cooking is more delicious!"
Dabao, Xiaobao and Wensheng immediately smiled proudly and accepted everyone's envious looks with honor.
Song Lijuan: "Aunt, your cooking is delicious." She used to think that cooking was not delicious. If there was no oil and meat, anyone would not eat it. If there was big fish and meat, anyone would eat it. Now she found that although they were both stewed chicken, Yan Runzhi's cooking was better than hers, and she couldn't help but admit it.
She quickly went to Yan Runzhi for advice.
Xu Aimei laughed and said, "It's useless to learn it. I can't eat chicken more than twice a year."
Jiang Lin: "Life will definitely get better in the future. It's still okay to eat once a month."
Jiang Xinglei: "Sister, you are just bragging." He found that his sister was very impressive after getting married. She was really good at bragging and was really spoiled by her brother-in-law.
Jiang Lin: "I see you are idle at home, why don't you follow me to Shuihuai Village to make bricks? As long as you have the strength, you can earn one dollar a day, which is enough for you to eat."
Jiang Lin thought that although he was lazy, he was tall and healthy, so he naturally had strength. If he couldn't stand it at first, he just needed to exercise. No matter what you do, you must have a strong will, otherwise you will give up when you are tired. If you fish for three days and dry the nets for two days, you will definitely achieve nothing. What's more, Jiang Xinglei has a lot of problems and needs to be tempered in a difficult environment. Staying with his parents, he always pampers himself.
Do you think that you can just get a couple of broomsticks for stealing letters? Haha, you are so naive!
Jiang Xinglei: "One dollar, you are bragging!"
Jiang Lin sneered: "Ask your brother-in-law."
Cheng Rushan nodded: "If it were me, I could earn at least four dollars."
Jiang Xinglei couldn't sit still any longer. "Let's go, let's go now. Don't brag. If you can't make a dollar..."
"That means you are lazy and stupid!" Jiang Lin stamped his seal on him, "Don't make even a penny by then and make people laugh at you."
Both Dabao and Xiaobao were laughing.
Jiang Dongjian: "Don't let him go. He will cause trouble for you."
Jiang Lin: "Dad, it's okay. We are not afraid of trouble. Our village has received many educated youth."
Take Jiang Xinglei down there and hone his skills so that he can study hard and take the college entrance examination next year. Otherwise, how can he concentrate on studying with his lazy attitude? Only when he has experienced the most difficult and tiring things, will he say when he encounters difficulties and hardships in the future: This is nothing, I have even made bricks.
Jiang Xinglei didn't know how tiring it was to make bricks, he only paid attention to one dollar a day, not bad, he could do it! Especially since Dabao and Xiaobao were still saying that the brick kiln factory was fun, he couldn't wait to go there tonight.
Cheng Rushan smiled at Jiang Lin and signaled to her with his eyes: My wife is so bad, I like her so much.
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