Zhao Dashan drove the car towards the courtyard, and before it could stop at the door, the wooden bed and trolley had already been delivered. Lin Lishan was waiting outside the door. Zhou Xiaozheng got out of the car as soon as it stopped, "Dashan, you park the car first." He ran to the gate and helped carry the wooden board inside, only to see that the room inside had already been cleaned. Zhou Xiaozheng looked at his wife who followed him in, "Shanshan, is this room already clean?" "It’s tidied up first, just waiting for you to buy the bed back. Brother Zheng, you can directly make the bed." Zhou Xiaozheng nodded, and after he and the craftsman from the woodworking factory set up the bed, he checked to make sure everything was fine, saw the craftsman to the door, and saw the trolley in the courtyard and pulled it under the eaves of the wood shed. "Shanshan, where should we put the coal balls when they arrive? Still in the same place? Have you asked Little Ya?" Lin Lishan gave him a sideways glance and smiled, "Don’t worry about my work, I’ve already asked clearly. I’ve even asked how to use the earthen stove. That girl is really nice, very attentive. The rooms and living room in the main house have been cleaned. Now it’s just this row of the kitchen left; one more day tomorrow and it’ll be done. I’ve also arranged with the mother and daughter to come and help tomorrow. The military blanket is too small, it’s okay for the room with the kang, but for us it’s not enough. I’ve already arranged with Hong Li to find someone tomorrow to make two thick blankets. These blankets are currently in the wardrobe, it’s too wasteful to use them as mats. Tomorrow I’ll go see if there are mattresses for sale at the cotton blanket shop. We also need to measure the fabric for three curtains and bedcovers, remember to bring the fabric back and put it in the car." Zhou Xiaozheng looked around, "The car is outside now. You and Hong Li can go see now, no need to wait for tomorrow. If there are ready-made ones, just buy them, buy a few more mattresses for when Ping’an grows up and wets the bed. Bring the cotton tickets with you, you may need them. Drive carefully." Lin Lishan took the tickets and pulled out the cotton ticket, "Leave the other tickets with you, I think we’ll need to go to the supply and marketing cooperative tomorrow. We haven’t bought soy sauce, vinegar, salt, those things yet." "Alright, you handle it as you see fit. No rush, even if you don’t have them temporarily, you can still buy them. When you come back, remember to see if there are any buns and buy some to take back for the mother and daughter. Tomorrow, give them some extra grain coupons and money." Lin Lishan nodded; she still had grain coupons and didn’t lack for the mother and daughter. She planned to give them more so that in the future, for big cleanups and things needing cleaning every ten days or half a month, Jiao Jiao would hire them for help. "Hong Li, the car is back now. Let’s first go to the place that makes blankets and see if there are ready-made ones; we also need to buy mattresses. Do they need cotton tickets there?" Lin Lishan quickly headed to the kitchen to find Cheng Hongli. Cheng Hongli shook her head, "We don’t need cotton tickets here; some places do require cotton tickets. There are people who grow cotton in the village, so there should be ready-made ones. Last time, my colleague’s daughter got married and bought wedding blankets directly. If you have the means, buy a few more blankets. I heard recently that cotton here is also being requisitioned, so without cotton tickets, you can’t buy any. You can buy mattresses, but their quality is too poor. Most people just lay straw directly. We need to go see quickly as many people are getting married at the end of the year." Lin Lishan said to the busy mother and daughter duo, "Little Ya, you and your mother keep busy here. Aunt Cheng and I are going to buy blankets; we’ll be back soon, so don’t rush to leave. If you need anything, call your uncle, he’s in the courtyard." Liu Xiaoya obediently replied, "Got it, Aunt Lin. You can go, my mom and I will move the things from the kitchen to the next room, wash them and get them ready for you to set up the new items." Lin Lishan smiled at her. This child is quite obedient, but it’s a pity she’s so thin; seeing her makes her think of Jiao Jiao. It’s a shame she didn’t study much, otherwise she’d want to introduce her to a job. Lin Lishan and Cheng Hongli got in the car and drove in the direction Cheng Hongli indicated. Now that offices had closed, there were more pedestrians on the road, so the car had to move slowly. "Hong Li, are you exhausted today?" Cheng Hongli shook her head and laughed, "I’m really not, didn’t you see it’s quite clean inside, it just hadn’t been disinfected, so it feels uneasy to move in. Where did you find that girl? She’s really efficient at work." "She was introduced by the former landlord, Mr. Liu. She’s always cooked and cleaned for the old couple. We specially invited her over to help today. The young girl is smart and sensible, and her mother is also efficient." Cheng Hongli sighed sympathetically, "The young girl is quiet and capable; if conditions were right, she should be in school. She said she has three younger brothers, only her father and older brother work, and they also have to support their grandparents in the countryside. Her mother’s household registration is in the countryside, so she can’t find a job; even temporary work is out of the question." "Life in rural areas is even tougher, every household has its own troubles. Alright, let’s not talk about them. Did your daughter go to school today? Do you need to pick her up?" "No need, her brother is at home, they’re old enough to take care of themselves. Did you manage to get time off? How long will you stay?" Lin Lishan helplessly shook her right hand, "Don’t even mention how long I can stay, I could only get seven days off at most initially, and after pushing persistently, they gave me a few days more, just fifteen days in total. With 6 days spent traveling by train, there’s not much time left, using up all of next year’s leave. I can only stay for a week. In the next two days, I hope to see if there are any tasks at the Northeast Military District." "What about Brother Zheng? Surely it’s not just seven days for him too. He must have accumulated quite a bit of leave over the years; they won’t let you go back alone, will they?" "It’s not considered leave for him. The higher-ups have given him time to handle things at hand, with a set number of days to take office. Once he settles in, he should have a month’s leave. He just got back, hasn’t even grasped the situation yet, hasn’t had time to visit the troops. He was in a hurry to catch the train back after staying home for a while. He’ll head back with me in 7 days. When the child is grown at the end of the year, the three of them will spend some time in Beijing. We can’t do as we please. Luckily, Jiao Jiao understands." "Then you’ll have things set up but with no one living there, so there’s no rush to move. Just take it slow." Lin Lishan winked at her and smiled, "We want to get things ready. Next time, we might not be able to get more than half a month’s leave. Once she’s settled, we’ll feel more at ease going back. Plus, we want to bring her here to live for a while, allowing the couple some freedom in the city. Let them return and stay for a few days in December before heading to Beijing. Next year, they won’t need to return as they’ll be busy working." When spring comes, there’ll be a separation. Her father-in-law and mother-in-law are nice people, but as you know, in rural areas, rumors spread quickly with the slightest incident. Jiao Jiao would rather wrong herself than have others look at her differently. Back in the city, they can live their own lives as they please. Her father and I haven’t even told her about the plan to bring her to the city yet. He borrowed the car to say, once there’s a car, we can take her back directly." "Haha, so you’re planning to get everything ready now and then bring her back directly?" Lin Lishan nodded, "I heard her two sisters-in-law didn’t even have proper postnatal care; they were helping with housework after 7 days, that’s the better case. Some even went back to work in the fields. I want Jiao Jiao to have a full month of postnatal rest; it’s inconvenient there." Thıs text ıs hosted at 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝙣𝙚𝙩