Starting a new chapter in life

No one found Jingyan's cooking unpalatable. After tasting it, the older sister who was invited said, "I've never lived in the North, but judging from the taste of your cooking, you probably don't like local Shanghai cuisine."

Seeing Jingyan nod, she continued, "My mother is from Hunan Province. I learned to cook from her when I was little. Later, after I married and moved here, I learned to cook local Hunan cuisine. I'll make some Hunan dishes for you to try tonight."

Our cuisine is quite spicy, so I'll add less chili. Try it and see if you like it. If you do, I'll mainly cook Hunan cuisine from now on. You can tell me what dishes your mother likes, and I can add one or two local Shanghai dishes.”

Grandma nodded with a smile: "I'm not too picky about food, but Jingyan is. Pregnant women are naturally picky about their food, and she doesn't like the food here. I was worried that the people I found would only know how to cook local dishes, so I mainly catered to her taste."

Cui Hongru smiled and said, "Mom, all this searching wasn't for nothing. My colleagues at the hospital have been helping me inquire. Xiao Wang is efficient, clean, and a good cook. Even during the strictest years, many people secretly asked her to take care of their elderly relatives."

She was lucky this time. The youngest son of the family she used to work for returned to the city with his wife. Not only was there no room for them to stay, but the daughter-in-law was unemployed and could cook at home, so Xiao Wang was able to retire.

I contacted her as soon as I received the message. I waited for her for over a month until her youngest son's family returned so she wouldn't have to go there anymore. There wasn't a single delay in between.

"Thank goodness I contacted her in advance. The day before yesterday, she didn't have to go, and two families came knocking on our door. So, we took advantage of the time and quickly brought her over."

The old lady nodded: "A capable person will naturally have no worries about making a living. Although we have a lot of things to do at home, it's not too much. We, the grandmother and grandson, won't just sit around doing nothing. Your main job is cooking and housework. After Jingyan has a baby, you'll need to take care of her during her postpartum period. By the way, how is the salary calculated?"

“A normal live-in nanny costs thirty yuan a month, including room and board. Xiao Wang is good in every way, and there is a pregnant woman and an elderly person in her family, so I’m offering her forty yuan a month. We’ll cover that cost. The young couple doesn’t have much income, so I’ll help them out for two years first,” Cui Hongru replied.

Jingyan shook her head: "Mom, you really don't need to pay this money. Zhijun is also receiving a salary while he's in school now, based on the same standard he received in the army. He gets about sixty yuan a month. He keeps twenty yuan for food and pocket money, and gives me the remaining forty yuan. That's enough for Sister Wang's salary."

“But you still need to eat and drink, so you need to have money.” Cui Hongru still disagreed.

“I started making and selling braised meat at home in May this year. Although I’ve been doing it on and off for the past three months, I’ve still made about a thousand yuan. Now that I’m more pregnant and the weather is hot, it’s not suitable to do it anymore. After I give birth and finish my postpartum confinement, I’ll continue making braised meat next spring. The income won’t be low, so you really don’t need to worry about living expenses,” Jing Yan explained gently.

Upon hearing this, not only Cui Hongru, but even He Jiaoxu was shocked: "You earned so much? It must have been very hard work, especially since you're pregnant. Why are you working so hard? It's not like we can't afford to support the baby."

Jingyan was touched to see that everyone was worried but not envious. "In my hometown, women are just as capable as men at working in the fields. I was spoiled by Zhijun after I married him. Otherwise, I would not have agreed to hire someone to help with the chores at home. It's just making some braised meat, which is not tiring."

As a modern woman, Cui Hongru does not oppose women's independence, but she does give her some heartfelt advice: "Take care of yourself. Your health is the most important thing. If you have financial difficulties, tell your family. Don't try to handle it all by yourself. What good deeds did Zhijun do in his past life to be able to marry such a capable wife like you?"

He Jiaoxu also instructed: "If you need anything at home and can't rely on Zhijun, just call home. Your dad and your older brother will come to help you. We don't live far away, so it's convenient for us to come and go."

Jing Yan nodded with a smile.

After dinner, He Jiaoxu took He Zhicheng to the living room to flush the toilet. The remaining women stayed at home, so Jingyan took Cui Hongru to the Yuan family to find Liu Qiang.

Liu Qiang was indeed at home. It was summer vacation, and he had been asking around but hadn't found any work. He was practically getting moldy from being idle at home. He was pleasantly surprised to see Jing Yan: "Little sister, did you come here because you need me to do something?"

Yuan Xiaoling slapped him irritably: "Zhang Meizi came to visit and you're bothering her. Go away."

Liu Qiang rubbed his bare arm, feeling a little aggrieved: "Can't you be a little gentler? I'm just bored."

Jing Yan looked at him and said with a smile, "I really came here this time to ask you something."

Liu Qiang immediately perked up: "What is it? Ask away."

“I remember that in my hometown, you don’t need to build a stove on the kang (heated brick bed). You can just leave a pit at the head of the kang to burn firewood. Do you know how to build that?” Jingyan asked him.

Liu Qiang's eyes lit up: "Is there another job building a kang (heated brick bed)?"

“My mother-in-law’s family and my older brother’s family both want to build kang beds, but they can’t use the kind of stove we have, it won’t fit. If we could leave a stove pit at the head of the kang for burning firewood, we could take their jobs. By the way, they live in Yangzhou, would it be okay for you to come and work there?” Jingyan asked.

Liu Qiang didn't think it was a big deal. "It's hot now, so we can go over, but it will cost a little more than your place. After all, we'll be traveling to another city, and there are four of us young men. We won't bother going out if we're not making money."

Cui Hongru smiled and replied, "Then why don't you give me a price first?"

"The labor cost for setting up a kang (heated brick bed) is ten yuan. You will be responsible for your food, lodging, and round-trip travel expenses. We will give you a list of what you need to buy, but we need to actually measure the items to give you a rough estimate of the required quantities," Yuan Xiaoling quoted.

“I’ll go back and talk to my husband. If he wants to do it, we’ll come back and give you the address,” Cui Hongru said.

Cui Hongru always listened to He Jiaoxu in these matters, and this time was no exception.

In the evening, He Jiaoxu and his son returned looking exhausted. Dinner was prepared by Sister Wang, consisting of two local Shanghainese dishes and two Hunanese dishes. Jingyan felt that the local Shanghainese dishes she made had actually been modified, lacking the cloying sweetness of those she had eaten in state-run restaurants. She thought they were quite good, light and refreshing, suitable for postpartum women.

After dinner, He Jiaoxu began to report on the day's progress: "We've found the source for the flush toilet, but they need to arrange for it to arrive, which will take at least seven days. The toilet plus installation will cost two hundred yuan in total. I've already paid a deposit of fifty yuan, and I'll pay the balance once everything is done."

"Wow, so expensive?" Jing Yan exclaimed.

"It's not expensive. This toilet costs about fifty yuan. These things are still relatively rare these days, so the price is reasonable. The bulk of the cost is for the pipes used in the sewer system and the bricks needed to build the septic tank. Those materials cost one hundred yuan, and the last fifty yuan is for the labor cost of the installation," He Jiaoxu explained.

“Your dad and I will pay for this. It’s our way of showing filial piety to your grandmother. Jingyan, don’t stand on ceremony with us this time, and don’t argue about it,” Cui Hongru quickly said.

The old lady stroked the kitten that jumped onto her lap and said with a smile, "Alright, I'll get to experience being rich for once. I have my own toilet at home, and life will be much more comfortable from now on. I'll accept your filial piety."

Since Grandma had already accepted, Jingyan couldn't refuse any longer, so she thanked her, "Then thank you, Mom and Dad. Zhijun didn't come back this week, but he should come back next weekend. He'll be very happy to know that Grandma is back."

"While we're waiting for the toilet to arrive, we're not idle. They told us to choose the location of the sewer after flushing, and they'll send someone to dig it out tomorrow. In the future, when the municipal government comes to clean the public toilets every year, they can also clean the sewer for us. It only costs three to five yuan a year, which is quite a good deal," said He Jiaoxu.

Grandma was also very satisfied: "That's good. At least we won't have to go to the public toilet anymore, and the house can be kept clean. But how are we going to decide where to put the sewer and where to install the toilet?"

“If the municipality is doing a unified cleanup, it would be best to put the sewer drain outlet outside our yard. That way, even if no one is home, it won't interfere with their work. As for the toilet, I think it would be best to install it somewhere in the bathroom where the tap water is convenient,” Jing Yan suggested.

He Jiaoxu didn't know what to choose either: "Let's ask the construction workers for their advice when they come tomorrow. This thing was originally imported from abroad, and they've installed it in many places, so they're more experienced than us."

Everyone agreed that it was fine. Although there were many people today, the two rooms had enough kang beds for sleeping. Sister Wang went upstairs to her room to rest, while the rest of the women stayed with Jingyan, and the men stayed in Grandma's room. They slept very comfortably, and there was even a kitten to keep them company. It was quite nice.

The He family master, who had been somewhat hesitant, agreed that very night to ask Liu Qiang to go to Yangzhou to help build a kang (a traditional heated brick bed). However, they would have to wait until the issue of the flush toilet was resolved before they could go back and clear out the room in their house where the kang was to be built.

The next day, the construction workers who came to help dig the sewers arrived. The one in the lead was experienced and quickly chose a location for the septic tank outside the backyard wall. "This is the final storage location. The municipality will provide a manhole cover and lock it. The key is with the municipality. They will come to clean it at a fixed time every year. You just need to pay the fee, and you don't need to worry about anything else."

However, if there is heavy rainfall, you should be careful. If the water doesn't drain in time and the area is about to overflow, you should notify the municipal authorities, who will come and clean it up.

Jing Yan nodded in agreement: "Where would be the most suitable place to install my toilet?"

"Just like you said, put it in the corner of the bathroom. Your family is quite open-minded to have reserved a bathroom so early. If we didn't have one, there really wouldn't be any place to install it. If we installed it in the yard, it would be inconvenient to use water and such." The installer was very satisfied with the bathroom.

All members of the He family have jobs. After the construction workers confirmed the construction location, He Jiaoxu and his wife, along with their eldest son's family, drove back to Yangzhou. They agreed to come back next weekend to check on the flush toilet's performance and pick up Liu Qiang and the others to build the kang (a traditional heated brick bed).

Jingyan even made a special trip to the Yuan family to tell Liu Qiang and the others to prepare their luggage in advance so that they could pick them up before Zhou Gongmo and his wife left. Liu Qiang was very happy and told her to rest assured that he would do a good job.

After that, the family didn't need to get involved. The professionals were really different. They dug through the cement ground, turned the soil down from the surface, and buried iron pipes. They said that all the filth would flow into the septic tank through the pipes. Although part of the yard was dug up and made a mess, they managed to clean it all up in three days.

The neighbors, seeing that Jingyan's house was under construction again, came over curiously to inquire. With her grandmother, a local, Jingyan no longer needed to worry about the language barrier. Her grandmother was also very happy to chat with people.

Sister Wang is truly a master of housework. Every day, she makes small pastries for Grandma to serve guests, which is much more cost-effective than buying them outside. Jingyan occasionally helps with the house cleaning, but most of the time, Sister Wang takes care of everything perfectly without her having to lift a finger. At this moment, Jingyan finally realizes that the forty yuan was well spent.

Sister Wang also took good care of the vegetables in the garden. She told Jingyan, "I'll need your help when I plant the garden every year. There's not much else to do. I only clean the house thoroughly every two or three days, so it's not too busy. Don't worry about me getting tired."

Jingyan hesitated for several days before finally asking about the vacation: "Sister Wang, when my mother-in-law talked to you before, did she mention how she would give you vacation time?"

Sister Wang smiled and said, "I'm a live-in nanny. I only need to take a few days off during the Spring Festival to go home and spend time with my family. I don't need to take any holidays on weekdays. If something happens at home, I will ask for leave, and the wages for the leave period will be deducted."

Jingyan looked surprised: "Then you only have a few days off all year round, so you won't see your family. What about your child? Are you worried about your husband being home alone?"

Sister Wang's smile was a little stiff. After thinking for a moment, she still spoke seriously: "Originally, I didn't want to mention it, but since you asked, I'll tell you the truth. I married into Yangzhou. At that time, my husband married me because my family had a good social class background. They had a capitalist background and were afraid of being purged. So you should know that even though I became a city person, my situation in my husband's family was not good."

Jing Yan nodded: "Yes, capitalists have been purged several times since the founding of the People's Republic of China."

Sister Wang nodded: "My husband is the second son of his family, so he's not considered important. After I married into the family, they looked down on me because I was uneducated and had a rustic air. Except for the first two years when I stayed home to do housework and take care of the whole family, their attitude only improved after I gave birth to a son."

Later, an opportunity arose. A family wanted to move to the port city, but the elderly woman in the family didn't want to go, and none of the younger family members wanted to stay and take care of them. My in-laws' house was cramped and they had a lot of problems. I had no income and was being mistreated at home. So, I gritted my teeth and applied for a job with that family. To my surprise, I was hired. They even considered that my son was young and agreed to let me bring him to live with them.