Starting a new chapter in life

Jingyan was a little frustrated, but she quickly perked up again. She knew she had no ability, no vision, and no ideas. Since she was ordinary, she should be content with that. As long as she lived her life steadily, that was enough for her.

He Zhijun was shocked by how smart Yuan Xiaoling really was. However, he felt that overly intelligent people tend to have many ideas and great ambitions, and men with weaker hearts might be discouraged by such women. He was just an ordinary man, and he found his wife's occasional absent-mindedness quite endearing. He found overly shrewd women exhausting, but he still admired such intelligent women.

Liu Qiang is much simpler. He has always known that he is not very smart. His only advantage is that he is hardworking and diligent. His wife is smart and has her own ideas. He only needs to follow orders and doesn't have to think for himself to make decisions, which is the best thing. So, the world is so wonderful. Everyone has their own personality, with good and bad points. But if you are lucky enough to meet a partner who complements you and gives you enough respect, isn't that a kind of luck?

After cleaning up the dishes, the four of them sat at the dining table in the main room. Yuan Xiaoling took out her notebook and began to record their purchases for the day, making a running account. He Zhijun did not haggle over the labor cost of 300 yuan and readily agreed to pay 60 yuan in three days, with the remaining 140 yuan to be paid in full after the project was completed. The simple contract was thus written in a general way, and both parties signed their names and the date.

The materials cost a total of over 260 yuan today, not including the ceramic tiles that will be laid around the stove later. However, we have already found out the prices and the size of each tile. After the stove is built, we will calculate how many we need and buy them as needed. After all, these things are not cheap, and if we buy too many, there is no other use for them, so there is no need to waste them.

If other materials are insufficient later, the quantity of replenished materials will be more accurate. After the group checked the accounts together, it was getting dark. Liu Qiang and his wife said goodbye and left, saying that they would bring people to work around eight o'clock the next morning. Of course, they would bring their own tools.

After locking the doors and windows, Jingyan and her husband washed up and went upstairs to prepare for bed. Jingyan buried her head in He Zhijun's chest, her voice somewhat muffled: "Zhijun, I was shocked by Yuan Xiaoling today. She is really smart and has a keen eye for business opportunities. Compared to her, I am really useless. I seem to have no skills and can't see a future path. I can't help you and have become a burden instead."

He Zhijun sensed Jingyan's lack of confidence and gently patted her twice: "You can't be so self-deprecating. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. You say Yuan Xiaoling is smart and has a keen eye, I don't deny that."

It's impressive that she can see a direction for development in our work, but not every man is fortunate enough to have a woman like her. At least for me, I would feel a lot of pressure having a wife like her.

You know my future: after graduating from university, I'll go to a factory and become a technician, maybe even an engineer someday. But no matter where I end up, it'll just be the same old routine of going to work and coming home. A wife like you is perfect for me—someone who gives me peace of mind, someone I can rely on. Just seeing you when I get home, even without a word, brings me comfort. That kind of life is perfect for us.

Besides, you're not a burden to me. You manage the household very well. In Jiang City, you even managed to contact the meat processing plant, and the money you earn from setting up a stall each month is enough for our daily expenses. Isn't that an achievement of yours? When we came back, we were able to save 1,300 yuan, all thanks to you.

There's an old saying that goes, "A woman marries a man for food and clothing." As a husband, I should be responsible for the living expenses of my wife and children. Since you take care of the family, earning money is not your task, because that's the essence of marriage. Otherwise, if you don't need a man to support you and can do everything yourself, then why did you get married? Just to suffer?

Besides, you've never complained about my meager allowance. When we first moved to Jiang City, you were always frugal, constantly worried about not having enough money, but you never complained to me. You always tried your best to help me out. These aren't things you're obligated to do; they're sacrifices you've made for me and for this family. If I can't even see these things, then you married the wrong person. I don't want you to regret it later.

This was the first time Jingyan had heard such remarks. In her memory, everyone advocated that women could hold up half the sky, and that while women's status was improving, their lives were becoming increasingly difficult. Raising children was a woman's job, as were working in the fields and at work, and all the big and small matters at home were also her responsibility.

It seems that a woman is considered a failure if she can't be elegant in public, cook in the kitchen, carry heavy bags, and fight off thugs. But she was lucky to meet him, who understands and sympathizes with the difficulties of being a woman. Now, she feels that there is only one word to describe it, which is—it was worth it.

"Well, I know you're at ease knowing I'm not well-educated. I want to improve myself, but I really don't want to study because I can't remember things," Jingyan said softly.

He Zhijun laughed: "So that's why you're here. You're quite educated. Even if you're both college students, different majors can lead to different understandings. The key to a good life isn't cultural differences, but mutual understanding and tolerance. Those who are unhappy but blame the other person for being uneducated are truly despicable. They know it's their own problem, yet they point the finger at their partner. Humph, scum."

Jing Yan smirked and changed the subject: "You'll be starting school in about ten days. Can our family finish getting ready in such a short time?"

He Zhijun thought for a moment and said, "I don't know how long it will take to do all this, but for safety's sake, let's build the two kang beds on the first floor first, as well as the kitchen and shower room. We can let them finish the rest during the holidays. There's no rush."

Jing Yan nodded in agreement: "We need to buy the ceramic tiles for the stove as soon as possible. Otherwise, we can't just use it without laying the tiles properly. I'm afraid the tiles won't hold up well if we wait until the entire stove is completely dry before adding them."

"Okay, I'll be careful about that. It's late, let's go to sleep." He Zhijun patted her, and the two of them fell asleep in each other's arms. There was no other way; it was too cold to be far apart.

The next morning, the two got up and ate a hot breakfast of rice porridge and a side dish of cabbage. Just as they finished cleaning up the dishes, there was a knock on the door. Jingyan happened to be there, so she went to open the door.

Liu Qiang and his wife stood outside the door with three men. Jing Yan glanced at them casually and was quite satisfied to see that they were all strong and capable. They seemed to be able to work. If they hurry up, there should be hope that they can get the rooms they urgently need ready before the start of the school year.

She smiled and opened the doorway for them to come in. After thinking for a moment, she decided not to close the gate. Since the sun was out, she planned to sunbathe in the yard and make lunch later. There would be people in the yard, and with the gate open, if any neighbors wanted to tidy up their houses and came to Liu Qiang's family, it would be a favor and a good deed.

Liu Qiang led a few people around the building and started arranging the work. He left one person to help him build the kang (a heated brick bed), hand him bricks, and handle cement. One of the other two was also from Northeast China and was better at building kangs and stoves than Liu Qiang. Liu Qiang arranged for him and the other partner to build the stove in the outer room.

"Zhijun, this man's surname is Chen. He's two years younger than me. His family's skill in building kang beds and stoves is a family tradition. Back in the Northeast, whenever there was work like this, the neighbors would all ask his family for help. He learned the skill from them when he was a child."

However, since he was assigned here when he was a sent-down youth, his skills have become useless. Building a kang (heated brick bed) is relatively simple, but building a stove requires a higher level of expertise. A good stove saves coal and produces less smoke, and the kang heats up much faster. That's why I let him do this job. You can rest assured about the quality; we definitely won't cut corners." Liu Qiang emphasized Master Chen's introduction and gave his assurance, afraid that He Zhijun wouldn't believe him.

He Zhijun hadn't really thought that much about it. He smiled at Master Chen and said, "Then I'll have to trouble everyone. We all start school on March 1st, right? I hope you'll all work hard for the next ten days or so. How about we get these four rooms ready first? My wife is from the north and she's not used to the cold and dampness here. So this kang (heated brick bed) is really important to my family. Thank you for your help."

After exchanging greetings, everyone got to work. Two people helped carry bags of mud into the main room, fetched water, and began mixing it into mud. He Zhijun looked on curiously and said, "Hey, didn't we buy cement? Why are we using mud?"

A man, while mixing mud, said with a smile, "The cement we bought is for paving the ground. We use mud to build kang (heated brick beds) and stoves. Mud gets stronger the longer it's fired, but cement won't work. It will crack after prolonged exposure to high temperatures."

Another person poured out several large bags of hay and chopped them up with a rusty knife. "You still need hay?" He Zhijun found it unbelievable.

The person working with the mud explained with a smile: "Adding hay to the mud increases its strength and toughness. The mud houses in the countryside are also built with mud bricks, and hay is mixed in with them."

He Zhijun nodded, clearly having learned a lot.

The mud mixed with hay was ready. One person carried the mud into the bedroom in a large basin. Outside, Master Chen had already brought over a large stack of bricks. After checking the width of the kang (a heated brick bed), he used chalk to draw the area of ​​the stove on the brick floor. Then, he took a trowel, scooped some mud, and smeared it on a brick, instructing his assistant:

"You've mixed the mud to the right consistency. One lump of mud is about right for one brick. Make sure to smooth and spread the mud evenly so that the bricks will be flat and without large gaps. Show me a few bricks first."

The group worked well together. When Master Chen saw He Zhijun standing nearby and was quite curious, he explained to him: "Using mud to create a slope in the stove helps the air and fire rise during combustion, which aids in combustion. If it were flat, it wouldn't have this effect. At the same time, the slope also makes it easier to remove the ashes from the stove."

Seeing that he was handling it with ease, He Zhijun didn't linger any longer. Otherwise, people would think he was worried, which wouldn't be good. He didn't know much, but at least he wouldn't cause trouble.

He came out of the main room and saw Jingyan and Yuan Xiaoling washing vegetables. When Jingyan saw him come out, she came over and asked in a low voice, "What's the standard for the food we're serving later?"

"Oh, there's no standard. As long as we can eat our fill, that's fine. We don't care about cornbread or brown rice. Just don't make it too fancy, or we'll become picky eaters and won't know what to eat at home." Yuan Xiaoling's voice came from behind them.

Jing Yan looked at He Zhijun, who thought for a moment and said, "We don't need to make a lavish feast, but we don't need to be too stingy either. We can add some meat every two days, and on weekdays we can make whatever you want to eat, as long as the portions are generous."

Jingyan thought it over and agreed, saying, "There are always green vegetables here in winter. How about we have some tomato and vegetable noodle soup for lunch? It'll be nice and warm. I still have some pork belly left from yesterday's purchase. We can also make some stewed green beans. With the pork belly's fat, the stewed green beans will be absolutely delicious. Perfect timing, we have green beans right here in our yard. It's a pity the stoves here are too small. Otherwise, we could stew the green beans on the bottom and put a thick flatbread on top, making it all in one pot. That would be so fragrant!"

He Zhijun nodded: "Then I'll knead the dough and roll out the noodles."

Yuan Xiaoling smiled and said, "I'll go pick some greens and beans."

Jingyan took out the leftover pork belly from yesterday and complained to He Zhijun as she tidied it up: "It's cold here, but not as good as in the Northeast. We can only buy ready-made meat. We can't freeze meat in this weather. Sigh, luckily we didn't buy too much yesterday, or I was afraid it would spoil."

“That’s true. Today is the first day of work, so having some meat and vegetables will make everyone happy and give them some motivation. If you think about it that way, don’t you feel less bad about the expense?” He Zhijun comforted him.

Jingyan smiled and sliced ​​the pork belly. Just as she finished, Yuan Xiaoling brought the vegetables back. Jingyan continued to prepare the green beans, while Yuan Xiaoling washed the greens. "The green beans here are all cowpeas. The green beans back home are so delicious. My fourth sister makes an absolute masterpiece of stewed green beans with flatbread. Ah, I haven't had them for years," Jingyan sighed to Yuan Xiaoling.

"What kind of pancakes?" Yuan Xiaoling asked.

"In Northeast China, we use large stoves and big iron pots. Although they're not as convenient to handle and clean as the small pots here, the food cooked in them is so fragrant. For example, when stewing pork belly with green beans, after seasoning the vegetables, we roll out a thin pancake about the thickness of two coins, place it on top of the vegetables, cover the pot, and simmer it over low heat."

"Once the fire is extinguished and the pancake is cooked, cut it open, and the whole pancake smells of vegetables. The slightly charred edge near the pan is the most fragrant, crispy and crunchy. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. I can't wait, I'll write to my fourth sister in a few days and ask her to send me some green bean seeds. I want to plant them in this yard." Jingyan said, thinking about asking for seeds.

Yuan Xiaoling thought for a moment and said, "How about we make the stove and pots in your kitchen the same kind as the ones in your hometown? But I don't know if we can buy those big iron pots."

Jing Yan's eyes lit up, and she looked at He Zhijun: "How about I ask my older brother to send us an iron pot? Then we can build the kitchen stove according to the size of the iron pot?"