Reborn in the 90s, I traded my ex-husband for eight apartments.

Footsteps echoed in the stairwell. Bai Chengxiang carried a small table up, followed by Bai Zhenzhu carrying a large enamel tea tray.

There were four bowls on the tea tray: one bowl of rice and three bowls of vegetables.

The small table was bought by Bai Zhenzhu at the general store when she returned. It was a low table that fit perfectly on the sofa for Huo Zheng to use as a dining table.

Huo Zheng was quite embarrassed:

"I can go downstairs to eat."

Bai Chengxiang was quick to speak:

"That won't do, comrade. You're so badly injured, you need to rest and recover properly. Don't worry, my family keeps quiet, you're perfectly safe here."

Bai Zhenzhu set the food out and asked him:

"Comrade Huo, do you need to call home or work to let them know you're safe?"

Huo Zheng: "Thank you, no need to call."

He left clues at the train station last night, and his comrades must have already started making deployments according to his instructions. At this time, he just needs to stay hidden, recover from his injuries, and not go out to cause trouble.

Bai Zhenzhu and Bai Chengxiang knew that military operations were to be kept secret, so they didn't ask any further questions.

"Then you should eat first," Bai Zhenzhu said. "There's a clinic outside the market. If you feel unwell anywhere, just tell me, and I'll go and fetch the doctor."

Huo Zheng nodded his thanks.

"Thank you, Comrade Bai."

Bai Zhenzhu then led Shuo Shuo downstairs to eat.

Huo Zheng looked at the food on the small table; it was quite a feast.

A bowl of braised chicken with potatoes, a bowl of cold eggplant salad, and a bowl of fish soup.

This fish soup was specially made for him by Bai Zhenzhu to replenish his nutrition.

Bai Zhenzhu thought that Huo Zheng had lost so much blood and definitely needed to replenish his strength. After lunch, she put on a straw hat and went to the market, bought two pigeons, and cooked them in a clay pot over low heat.

Then he rode a tricycle with Bai Chenglei and Bai Chengxiang to the place that sells building materials.

She found this place by asking Guo Yongliang; it was a rather dilapidated building materials yard on the outskirts of the city.

Bai Zhenzhu originally planned to lay floor tiles. She had seen restaurants in the city with terrazzo floor tiles in the year 2000, which were clean and tidy.

This building materials factory also has floor tiles, but the colors and patterns are not as bright as the ones she saw; the colors are rather dull.

When I asked about the price, I found out that a single brick cost ten yuan. The restaurant would charge 140 yuan, which would be 1400 yuan in total.

Bai Chenglei clicked his tongue in amazement: "This is way too expensive."

The bosses all chimed in:

"It's not expensive at all. There are even more expensive ones, and there are also cheaper ones. But if you're running a restaurant, you can just lay cement. There's no need to lay these bricks. These are things that rich people buy to lay in their homes."

Bai Zhenzhu thought it made sense. Since the building would be demolished in a few years anyway, she might as well pave it with cement, which would be slip-resistant and easy to clean.

So she bought one cubic meter of gravel and sand, 10 bags of cement, and 200 kilograms of lime, spending a total of 350 yuan.

I've paid, left my address, and arranged for delivery tomorrow afternoon. I still need to tidy up today.

The restaurant originally had red brick flooring, but because it's been there for a while, the floor is uneven and not moisture-proof.

All these bricks need to be removed; Bai Chenglei said half a day would be enough.

Upon returning, Bai Chenglei and Bai Chengxiang immediately got to work, moving all the tables and chairs to the backyard and then starting to lay bricks.

Most of the paving bricks are still intact. The owner of the grain, oil, tobacco and alcohol shop next door came over and asked if they still wanted those bricks.

The white pearl said she didn't want it anymore; whoever wanted it could come and pick it up.

Then the owner of the grain and oil shop came with his two teenage sons to help lift the bricks. The plot of land wasn't very big to begin with, but the three Bai brothers, along with the three fathers and sons next door, finished lifting all the bricks in no time. They also helped deliver them to the neighbor's house, where they were planning to build a bathroom in the backyard.

Before it even got dark, Bai Zhenzhu and Zhang Minmin had already prepared dinner after finishing their work.

I cooked pumpkin and mung bean porridge for dinner. Bai Zhenzhu bought a bunch of chives and made chive and egg pancakes. I also made a cold cowpea salad and heated up the leftover chicken from lunch.

Huo Zheng's meal consisted of a large bowl of stewed pigeon with white peony root and soup, four pancakes, and a plate of cold dishes.

He ate several meals there and found that Bai Zhenzhu's cooking skills were really good; no wonder she wanted to open a restaurant.

He had been lying down all day, and his only activity was going downstairs to the bathroom. He wasn't hungry at all; he was full after eating pigeon soup and cold dishes.

Since it was still early after dinner, Bai Zhenzhu took the clean sheets and blankets and led Bai Chenglei and Bai Chengxiang to the staff quarters of the vermicelli factory.

The vermicelli factory is one of the main industries in Yuan County. There are four residential buildings for the family members, and the community is named Happiness Community.

Bai Zhenzhu bought apartment 303.

Xiahe's uncle's family has all moved out. Almost nothing in the house has been moved, and the pots and pans in the kitchen are still there.

The TV and washing machine are gone, but they are large items, so it's normal for them to dispose of them.

The bed, wardrobe, and other large items in the bedroom were all there, even the quilts and mattresses were left, and there were some old clothes that the elderly couple no longer wore in the wardrobe.

Xia He said that her older cousin made a lot of money doing business in Chengdu. He even bought a new house for the elderly couple in their neighborhood. Everything was ready, and they were just waiting for them to move in.

Bai Chengxiang's face was filled with surprise:

"Pearl, you said you'd let us live in this house?"

Bai Zhenzhu quickly changed the bed sheets and duvet cover:

"Yes, there are just two rooms available. When your sisters-in-law come over, you can stay here and look after each other."

Bai Chenglei quickly said, "I think the sheets and duvet cover are quite clean, so there's no need to change them."

White Pearl changed to new bed sheets, which were printed with large peony flowers and looked especially beautiful.

"You don't mind if it's been used by someone else, but you still have to wash it again."

Bai Chenglei chuckled twice:

"Don't mind, everything is fine, what's there to complain about?"

He then said to Bai Chengxiang:

"Second son, you and your sister-in-law will live in the big bedroom. There will be a baby in the future, so it will be more spacious."

Bai Chengxiang didn't stand on ceremony with his elder brother, took the bed sheets and duvet cover and went to the other side of the master bedroom to change.

The house is very clean, and there's nothing to clean.

Bai Zhenzhu then explained to them how to use the water, electricity, and gas. The balcony was piled with honeycomb briquettes, and there were two honeycomb briquette stoves. There was also a gas cylinder in the kitchen, which would make it more convenient to boil water and cook in the summer.

Bai Chengxiang sighed repeatedly:

"It's so convenient in the city, and water is readily available. No wonder the people in the city are all so clean and fair-skinned."

Bai Zhenzhu said, "You can take your clothes to the restaurant to be washed. I bought a washing machine."

Bai Chengxiang waved his hand: "Summer clothes can be washed and rinsed easily, it's no trouble."

She gave him a final reminder about the precautions for the gas cylinder, changed the lock, and left two keys for her two older brothers. Bai Zhenzhu then took the used sheets and blankets back to the restaurant.

The next day, Bai Zhenzhu got up early and went to the market to buy a 15-jin pig's head, three chickens, and three ducks.

The restaurant will take a few more days to set up; starting today, she'll open the braised meat shop first.

This was the first day of trial operation, and the weather was too hot to keep things fresh, so she didn't dare to do too much.

There are no braised meat shops in the market yet, but there are vendors selling them from tricycles.

In the morning, Bai Zhenzhu was making braised meat at home. Except for one old hen that was kept to make soup, all the other ingredients were prepared and put into braising.

While she was braising meat at home, Bai Chenglei and Bai Chengxiang went to the shop to tidy up, and Bai Jingsi went to find a signboard maker and ordered two signs.

She had already taken the time to get the business licenses and health permits for the braised meat shop and restaurant, so she could just hang them up today.