Starting a new chapter in life

Jingyan handed over the three sheets of paper with scribbles: "Go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy new brooms, mops, washbasins, and the like. These are different from other things; it's more comfortable to use new ones. Hmm, we have a secondhand shop here for wooden furniture like wardrobes and beds. The prices are reasonable, and the items are all in good condition. As for pots, pans, knives, and shovels, although you can buy them at the supply and marketing cooperative, you need industrial ration coupons. If you don't mind, I'll go home and try to gather as many as I can. If we're short, you can figure out a way. How about that?"

"That's great, thank you so much, Sister Gao." Jingyan was pleasantly surprised.

“Okay, I have a day off tomorrow. I’ll probably go to your rented courtyard around nine o’clock. You guys should come early too. I’ll take you to the secondhand store while I’m there. Since you’re going to buy so many things at once, you can negotiate the prices with them. If you can get everything ready and move in quickly, you can save some money. Otherwise, you’ll have already paid the rent for the house, and you’ll also have to spend money on the guesthouse. It’s not worth it.” Sister Gao’s words settled the matter.

Jingyan invited Sister Gao to have dinner at a state-run restaurant, but Sister Gao declined, saying, "Oh, if you want to thank me, you don't need to invite me to a restaurant. Just invite me to have a simple meal at your home once you've settled in. We'll be neighbors from now on, so there's no need to be so polite."

There was nothing they could do but eat dinner by themselves. The next morning, they ate steamed buns and drank porridge. After breakfast, they went to their rented house. Jinghuan found a small basin with a slightly broken corner in the kitchen, turned on the tap to fill it with water, and used a cotton cloth to wipe the kang mat in the main room. After drying it, she started wiping the furniture.

Jingyan went to the backyard and got a bamboo broom to sweep the dirt and debris on the cement floor into a pile in the corner. She would clean it up after buying a trash can. Peng Chunhai took a hoe and removed the withered or barren vegetable seedlings from the yard, piling them in the open space in the middle of the vegetable garden. He planned to let them dry for two days before burning them. The ashes would be buried with the soil when turning it over, which would also serve as a form of fertilizer.

While the three of them were busy at work, Sister Gao and her son came in with some things: "You're already starting to clean?"

Hearing Sister Gao's voice, the group quickly came out to greet her, "Sister Gao, you're here quite early! Come in quickly."

Upon entering, the furniture, which had previously been dull and dark, was now much cleaner and brighter. Ms. Gao was quite satisfied and placed the items she and her son were carrying on the wooden sofa in the main room: "These are all the extra items that my family and the neighbors could find. Take a look and see which ones you can keep. Pick whatever you like. Don't worry, the families I found are all clean. Although they are all old items, they were not broken when they were replaced, and they were cleaned up."

Jinghuan and Jingyan stepped forward and opened several large bags. Peng Chunhai quickly moved the table that was against the wall over and set it up. The two sisters took out the items one by one and placed them on the table. The kitchen knife had no rust and the blade was quite sharp. There were only two of them, so they kept them. They also kept one each of the wok, steamer, and casserole. Jinghuan even put the pot on the stove to test its size, and it turned out to be quite suitable.

Sister Gao laughed: "Our community was built uniformly back then, so the stoves of each household are all the same size, and the cookware is also universal, haha."

Ladles, spatulas, shovels, sickles, and kettles were all left behind. After selecting everything, almost all the kitchen utensils and tools needed for the front yard and fields were gathered. The bags were empty. Jingyan sincerely praised, "Sister Gao is really amazing. She has gathered everything that can be used in the house for me, and the quality of the items is quite good. She has really gone to great lengths."

Sister Gao was also very happy: "Oh, I'm glad you like it. I was worried that you might not want some of the items because they were old, but I still tried to choose the best ones I could think of. It would be great if you could use them."

"Sister Gao, let's calculate how much these will cost."

"These are all secondhand items. As for the money, I'll give you fifty yuan. Although the price may not be particularly cheap, you can't buy new ones for less than one hundred and fifty yuan. We don't need any receipts. Is that alright?" Gao Mei was hesitant. These items were just sitting idle in each household. If she could exchange them for some money, that would be a profit, and it would also save space at home. However, she was a little reluctant if the price was too cheap. This price would be a bit expensive for any household.

"Sister Gao, I won't beat around the bush. Fifty yuan is fine, but we're still missing a cutting board and a cutting board. See if any of our neighbors have any spares. How about we combine them for fifty yuan?" Jing Yan was satisfied, but she still wanted to negotiate the price.

Gao Mei thought for a moment and said to her son, "Go to your grandma's house. I remember someone brought back a cutting board and a cutting board from the forest farm last year. They've never been used at home and are all brand new. They're just sitting there anyway, so I'll bring them over for you to use. Don't worry, they're all good wood."

Jing Yan smiled and said, "I trust Sister Gao. Here's what I'll do: I'll give you the money first, and you can bring it over for me when you have time." After saying that, she went into the house, took out a small cloth bag, and handed five ten-yuan bills to Gao Mei.

Gao Mei secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "Xiao Zhang is so generous."

She handed the money to her son and said to him, "Take this money back with you, take five yuan to your grandma's house and bring back the cutting board and cutting board, then deliver them directly here."

Her son, who looked to be about fifteen or sixteen, took the money, agreed, and left.

"I'll take you to the secondhand market first; they have a pretty complete selection of furniture and stuff." Sister Gao was remarkably quick to act.

The three of them didn't dawdle. They put their things in the living room, locked the door, and Jingyan set off with her small cloth bag. The secondhand market was quite far from Hongqi Community. It took half an hour by bus, and after getting off the bus, they walked for another seven or eight minutes to reach the secondhand market that Gao Mei had mentioned.

It's called a market, but it's just a larger storefront. Once you step inside, the room is dimly lit, and the large furniture items further block out the light.

A man in his forties sat by the door, puffing on a pipe. He merely glanced at them as they approached, showing no intention of greeting them. Sister Gao didn't seem to mind and went straight inside, saying to Jingyan, "Take a look first. If you choose something, just call out, and he'll come in."

Jingyan looked at Peng Chunhai: "Fourth brother-in-law, can you help me choose? I don't understand these things."

Peng Chunhai nodded and slowly walked around the large space before coming over to the two sisters after a long while: "I've got my eye on a cot, it's made of iron and very sturdy. If you want to take it with you later, you can just disassemble it, it's very convenient. There are also some good quality wardrobes in the big house and wooden chests in the small house, and there's also a dressing table that looks quite nice, but I don't know if you need it."

The two sisters exchanged a glance and quickly followed to look. Sure enough, the dressing table looked like one that had been replaced by someone from a wealthy family. It had an inlaid glass mirror, and there were carvings on the table and drawers. It looked exquisite, and Jingyan really liked it.

"Sis, I want it."

"It looks nice, and it even has such a big mirror, but where do we put it?"

"How about we put the wardrobe by the window and the dressing table on the open space next to the kang (heated brick bed)? I reckon it'll fit," Peng Chunhai suggested.

Jinghuan shook her head: "If we put it by the kang, the drawer can only be opened halfway. If that doesn't work, we can put it by the window in the living room. Since Jingyan likes it, we should buy it. We can find a place to put it. The wooden box for the quilt is more suitable to be placed on the open ground by the kang. With the lid on top, it won't get in the way."

And so, having decided on the furniture to buy, Sister Gao called the person in and pointed to each piece of furniture she had selected, asking, "How much is it in total?"

The man hadn't expected this to be a big client. His initial nonchalance lessened somewhat. He grabbed the ledger, flipped through it, and fiddled with the abacus. "Four items, one hundred and thirty."

Sister Gao's eyes widened: "You're charging 130 for just this little bit of stuff? How much does it cost to make something brand new? That's not fair. If we had that much money, we would have made our own furniture. Who would come to pick out secondhand goods and get a discount?"

The man looked at the ledger with a troubled expression, then calculated again: "These things are all made of good wood. Look, this bed is made of iron. You know how expensive iron is. We can't just charge for it. Although it's just a bed frame, the planks on it are genuine pine, which we're giving away for free. The wardrobe and wooden chest are reasonably priced. The dressing table is a bit more interesting. Look, this is mahogany with clear varnish, and the openwork carvings are something only old craftsmen can do. This price is really very cheap."

Peng Chunhai looked at Jingyan and nodded to her. Jingyan understood that the price was not inflated, the item was worth the price, and it was well-maintained with no bumps or scratches. Sister Gao tried to persuade him for a while, but the man wouldn't budge. Helpless, Sister Gao could only look to Jingyan and ask her to make the decision.

Jingyan walked around the room, dragged over six wooden stools, each up to her thighs, and then picked out two small stools. She said to the man, "Including these stools, it'll be one hundred and thirty."

The man looked at the stools. Apart from two small stools with backrests, the other six stools were just four legs and a seat. He then flipped through the ledger and frowned: "Why aren't these stools in the ledger?"

He looked at it again carefully, then frowned and said, "Fine, I'll give it to you."

Jingyan then asked, "How are we going to get our things back?"

"We have trucks here that can help with deliveries, but it will cost extra."

"How many?"

Where are you going? Do you want us to help you move things?

"Hongqi Community needs to be moved."

"five yuan."

"Three pieces"

"make a deal!"

Peng Chunhai handed the man 133 yuan, and he wrote a receipt. He then went to find someone in the back. Soon, two burly men in their twenties came and, following instructions, carried the items Jing Yan had chosen to the train truck bed in the backyard. After loading, Peng Chunhai checked it again to make sure everything was in order. The three of them got into the truck bed, and Gao Mei sat in the passenger seat, as she needed to give directions.

As the truck started moving, Peng Chunhai felt a pang of regret: "It costs three yuan to deliver a single item, while a bus ride only costs three cents per person. This is too expensive."

Jingyan comforted them, saying, "It would be even more cost-effective for us to move it ourselves. As you can see, the furniture is all solid wood and quite heavy. If we were to rent a truck, it would cost at least two yuan, and they might not be willing to do it. The main problem is that we don't have any connections. Although moving is more expensive, it is still hard work. There's no need for us to exhaust ourselves just to save a yuan."

Jing Huan patted Peng Chunhai's arm: "Alright, this isn't our hometown. When we buy things here, the neighbors can lend a hand. We don't have much of a social obligation here. Spending money is the easiest thing to do."

Upon arrival, the group jumped out of the truck bed. Jingyan opened the door, and the two men, who were quite strong, arranged the furniture in the chosen locations according to Jinghuan and Jingyan's instructions. They even assembled the cot, providing excellent service.

Looking at the furnished house, Sister Gao nodded with satisfaction: "Finally, it's not empty anymore. It feels a bit like home now. Since it's still early, why don't you go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some things? We don't have brooms or anything yet. You all know where the supply and marketing cooperative is, right?"

Jing Yan nodded: "We know about the supply and marketing cooperative."

"Then I'll go home first. It's almost noon. I'll go back and cook something. If the men come home and there's no food, they'll start nagging again," Sister Gao complained with a smile.

"Thank you so much, Sister Gao, for today."

"No need to thank me, I didn't even help you negotiate the price down." Gao Mei was a little embarrassed. She had originally wanted to help bargain, but who knew the person would be so stubborn? Sigh~

"I also have to thank Sister Gao. Without Sister Gao taking me there, I wouldn't have been able to buy all the furniture at once. Although the price wasn't cheap, it was still worth it. It saved me a lot of trouble and effort. It's all thanks to Sister Gao," Jing Yan complimented.

Gao Mei left happily, adding before she left, "I'll have my son bring the cutting board and cutting board over around four or five o'clock. You guys need to be home by then."

The three of them didn't rest. They first went to the state-run restaurant and ate a bowl of noodles before going to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy all the other daily necessities. Jinghuan felt a pang of heartache as she watched the money slip away one bill at a time, but there was nothing she could do. When it comes to living at home, some things really can't be skimped on.

The three of them carried their bags back and lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), not wanting to move. Peng Chunhai saw that the two sisters really didn't want to move, so he got up helplessly and said, "You two go to the living room and lie down. I'll make up the kang and spread the rest of the bedding on the bed in the small room. I'll go to the guesthouse to check out of the room in a while. You can stay here tonight."

Jingyan propped herself up. "Brother-in-law, you make the bed. Fourth sister, go rest in the living room for a while. I'll go to the guesthouse to check out now. Anyway, I brought all my things with me. I just need to settle the bill. On my way back, I'll go to the state-run restaurant to buy some food. We'll just have something to eat today. Tomorrow, we'll have to buy some grain and oil. Once we've bought everything, we'll cook for ourselves."

Jinghuan was dragged up and moved to the living room, where she slumped to the side: "Fine, go ahead. I don't want to move. I'm really too tired after this day."

Jingyan left with her small cloth bag. Peng Chunhai laid out the quilt on the kang (heated brick bed) in the main room, then carried another cot to make up the camp bed. He came out and said to Jinghuan, "You and Jingyan stay in the main room, I'll sleep in the small room."

Jinghuan nodded: "Okay, all done? I'm going to lie down for a while." She dragged herself, took off her outer clothes and put them on the stool by the door, lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed) and didn't want to move at all. She fell asleep in no time.