novelraw Chapter 49: We should still try to pamper the girls a bit.
Chapter 49: We should still try to pamper the girls a bit.
Tong Yuheng was too lazy to move things around. Seeing that no one was around, she waved her hand and put a pile of bricks into her spatial storage. She then went to the scrap bricks and collected some more, throwing them on top of the good bricks. After saying goodbye to the gatekeeper, she drove the tractor away with a "putt-putt-putt" sound.
When she arrived at the backyard gate, she waved her hand and separated the good and bad bricks in the space, setting them down. She called out, "Come and move the bricks!" and the whole family appeared in the backyard.
"So many bricks! Who helped you carry them down, big sister?" Yuyao asked.
"Your older sister knows the art of moving bricks. With just a wave of her hand, whoosh, the brick is in place. Aren't I amazing!" Tong Yuheng joked.
"Big sister is lying, you brought it back in a tractor!" Yuqi said.
"Xiaoqi is so smart! You guys carry the bricks back to the yard slowly, and I'll go and haul them back a couple more times!" She patted Xiaoqi's head, jumped on the tractor, and drove it away.
Tong Jiahui was still wondering when her eldest daughter learned to drive a tractor. Could it be that her father taught her without her knowledge? When the villagers saw Tong Yuheng driving the tractor, they were even more shocked: This girl is amazing, she can even drive a car and a tractor!
Tractors are precious items; who would be willing to lend them to her? It seems they really have connections in the county and commune! The villagers began speculating again about their family's background.
Ignoring all that, Tong Yuheng immediately drove the tractor back to the brick factory. When she entered, she took two cucumbers and two tomatoes from her spatial storage so that the old man could have a taste.
She first placed the remaining stack of red bricks in the storage space, and another stack on the truck, then continued loading the flawed ones onto it. She deliberately lingered near the brick kiln for half an hour before driving the tractor away; now only some defective products remained.
She went home to unload the bricks, saying she was going to deliver a tractor, and went back to the brick factory. But instead of returning the truck, she left the substandard bricks she had picked up inside, preparing to make another trip.
After leaving the brickyard, she put all the bricks into her spatial storage, drove to the post office, and mailed a letter to Gu Zhitao and Chen Liying to let them know she was safe. Then, in a secluded place, she took out some items from her home in Yan City that she had stored away.
The bicycle, sewing machine, two single beds, and their respective tables were all taken out and put into the car. The round dining table and the stack of chairs were also taken out and put into the car.
When I parked the car in front of the gate this time, the whole family came over to help carry things.
"Big sister, isn't this the long table between my bed and Xiaoqi's bed? Did you send it?" Xiaoliu asked.
"They weren't mailed; someone brought them along the way. I picked them up at the commune. There are still some left; I rented a yard to store them. I'll move them back little by little once the yard wall is repaired."
"This long table will be placed opposite the kang (heated brick bed) for easy storage. The sewing machine will be in the east room, and the bicycle will be there too, so we can lock it when we leave. Where should we put the desk? Should it be against the west wall?"
Tong Jiahui busily began making arrangements. She hadn't expected her eldest daughter to be so thoughtful. Her eldest daughter had matured and become much more composed lately, her ideas were more sound, and the family was truly grateful for her presence!
"Mom, we're not putting anything in the east room. I'm going to dismantle that kang (heated brick bed)!" Tong Yuheng hurriedly stopped them from moving things in.
"Huh? Because someone died there?" Tong Jiahui asked.
"It's not entirely because of that. We all need to study, and that room is bright and spacious. When the weather gets warmer, we'll read there. Tomorrow I'll dismantle the kang (heated brick bed), lay bricks on the floor, and put in a few tables. It'll be more convenient. It can also be used as a reception room when people come. It's best to keep outsiders out of your room as much as possible!"
"Okay, whatever you say!"
"You guys pack up, I'll go return the tractor!"
Tong Yuheng went to exchange her tractor, just in time for three o'clock in the afternoon. Her family's bicycle was also on the open road, so she rode it to the commune's coal station.
She still had some local coupons, which she got from the money changer, and she was keeping them to buy some coal for heating in her own home. Burning firewood wouldn't work; how many days could her little bit of corn stalks last?
She also put away the coal stove that Yan Shi used at home. When she bought coal, she would burn it in the west room, which would make the room much warmer.
It's much colder here than in Yanshi. The heated kang (traditional heated brick bed) makes the bed warm, but the air is still cold, and the temperature inside is very low. It's the first time my sisters have spent the winter here, and I'm afraid they won't be able to adapt.
This winter, everyone will just stay cozy in this room with the kang (heated brick bed), and we'll study on the kang too, whatever keeps us warm.
Grandpa and his family are having an even harder time. It's inconvenient for them to use coal, so we have to find a way to send them some. My little cousin is suffering terribly; his hands are covered in chilblains. How did they manage to get through the past two years?
Tong Yuheng bought coal and charcoal, paid some transportation fees, and had the coal station workers haul them back in a tricycle, along with the iron coal stove.
By the time she got home, it was almost dark. Using the fire in the stove, she put some small, pebble-like coal pieces into the fire. After a while, they caught fire, and she pulled them out and put them into the firebox of the iron stove. She then carefully covered them with a thin layer of small coal pieces to keep them burning and warm the house.
The younger sisters gathered around the fire to warm themselves. A kettle of water was boiling on the stove, and wisps of steam began to rise. There were four thermos flasks in the house, and they planned to boil several more, filling them all. They would add some hot water when washing their faces and hands the next morning. No matter how poor the conditions were, they still wanted to pamper the girls as much as possible.
The water was filled with stream water from Tong Yuheng's spatial storage, with a small portion added from the spiritual spring. Tong Jiahui assumed she had gone to the old well at the village entrance early that morning to fetch water. She asked her older daughters who had fetched the water, and they all said it must have been their eldest sister.
The family ate noodles for dinner. A big pot of water was used to cook two pounds of dried noodles, along with some seasonings, shredded cabbage, and a poached egg for each person. After a long day, everyone enjoyed the meal.
The charcoal was bought, and Tong Yuheng wanted to deliver it to her grandfather as soon as possible. This time, she brought Yuyao along, and also carried some rice, noodles, and seasonings. To avoid attracting too much attention with too many people, she decided to go in pairs, taking turns to meet and exchange a few words with each of them.
We can't go there every day, or someone will see us and report us, which would cause trouble for the team leader and his friends.
Grandpa's room was small and cramped; it would be a bit cramped if there were two more people, but small has its advantages—it's easy to warm up by burning charcoal.
They had a broken, unusable enamel washbasin, which would make a decent brazier. They also found a piece of sheet metal and some wire mesh in the junk pile in her space, so they could heat some things or boil water on it. At least they wouldn't waste any heat.
They didn't have enough firewood either. The little firewood they collected was enough to cook meals every day, and they were lucky if they could use the remaining heat to warm the kang (a heated brick bed).