Afternoon classes ended an hour earlier than usual, with only two sessions.
As she approached her rental ho, she ran into Yang Peiying stepping out with a broom in hand. Yang PeiMin glanced to the side and saw a puddle of rotten vegetable leaves mixed with water.
As soon as Yang Peiying looked up, she saw her. "Sister, you’re back."
"Was this thrown out from next door?"
"I don’t know who did it, but you have to be careful not to step on it. I’m about to sweep it up."
The place she was currently renting bordered on a leather factory’s staff courtyard to the left, with houses similar to hers on the right. The current ss was right next to the factory’s side, clearly the work of those residents.
The alleyways here were not particularly spacious, paved with stone bricks. In areas where no one walked, like close to the walls, moss grew. If people kept dumping water and household waste carelessly, it would only encourage more moss growth, making it very easy to slip and fall.
That’s why Yang Peiying was so concerned and warned her to watch her step.
Without entering her ho first, Yang PeiMin took a few steps to the left to observe the courtyard. The yard wasn’t very large, but she could tell from the number of doors that it was densely populated. Clothes hung under the eaves in the three-story building were noticeable. Despite it not being the end of the workday, there were plenty of elderly people, won, and children at ho, engaging in various activities like chatting, cleaning, and cooking, while children played noisily nearby—a lively scene.
She noticed how casually so of the people cooking dumped out their water. Others poured water right out of their hos onto the doorstep without any consideration for the playing children who might slip and fall.
She also saw Lin Shuangi, who was washing vegetables with water from a tap in the center of the yard with her younger brother on her back. Lin Shuangi looked up inadvertently and saw Yang PeiMin, promptly standing up to greet her, "Hello, Yang."
Yang PeiMin nodded at her.
She considered whether to ask Lin Shuangi to relay a ssage to the other residents through her, asking them not to throw trash at their doorstep.
By then, Yang Peiying had swept the ground clean, and Yang PeiMin turned her attention back and walked over.
Walking back with Yang Peiying to their house, she said, "When Lin Shuangi cos over, ask her if it’s a common practice for people on their side to do this, and ask her to remind them not to throw garbage around carelessly. It’s a safety hazard because it’s easy to slip, and it’s also unhygienic and attracts rats."
Yang Peiying nodded, "I got it, sister. I’ll go talk to her after I put things down."
"There’s no need to rush; just go after dinner."
"If we tell them sooner, they’ll stop throwing things sooner," Yang Peiying said simply.
Today, Yang Peiying hadn’t expected Yang PeiMin to co back so early, thus dinner wasn’t prepared yet. Yang PeiMin gestured expansively with her arms, "Let cook today; you take the evening off."
It had indeed been a long ti since she had cooked, so much so that she had forgotten how much water to use for cooking, phew.
How could Yang Peiying agree? "Sister, let do it. I was planning to make sweet and sour ribs tonight and stir-fry smoked pork with garlic shoots; I’ve got everything ready. You’ll have a al in no ti."
Seeing her sister’s determined and orderly manner, Yang PeiMin couldn’t help but laugh, "Then I’ll be your assistant; I’ll go start the fire."
In this city, everyone usually cooked with coal, but since they were renting an independent house with its own kitchen, which had a stove built for burning firewood, they cooked with wood.
Yang Peiying thought burning coal was more expensive than wood, so she had bought so. The woods were procured from soone who sold them, but Yang PeiMin couldn’t rember the price per load. Financial managent at ho was now in the hands of Yang Peiying.
Whenever Yang PeiMin had the ti, she taught her sister how to keep simple accounts, using a notebook to jot down the date, inco, summary, and balance, keeping a ledger of expenses so they could clearly see their financial flow.
Yang Peiying showed great interest, "This way, I won’t fear wasting money recklessly."
She used to quickly return the leftover money to Yang Peimin each ti she bought groceries for the day, also telling her the various prices of the vegetables.
Yang Peimin found it annoying and told her to keep track of the accounts herself; she just needed to have an idea of the finances and didn’t care how much was spent.
Upon entering the kitchen, Yang Peimin tied on an apron and started washing the rice to get it ready for steaming, then moved on to chopping the garlic scapes.
"Peiying, I made your husband’s al; he should be back tonight, right? He hasn’t been here for two days."
Yang Peimin didn’t know either, "Go ahead and make it; he ntioned he had to go out of town for so training or sothing. I have no idea if he’s back yet, but start cooking anyway; better to have too much than to get rushed later."
Yang Peiying agreed.
As they were talking, Shen Yixiang also returned ho. She ca in with such force that Yang Peimin called out to her.
Gasping for breath, Shen Yixiang ca in and said to them, "You wouldn’t believe it, but a stray dog chased all the way here. I’m exhausted."
Yang Peimin was surprised. As far as she knew, none of the neighbors nearby owned a dog.
"Where did it follow you from?"
Shen Yixiang leaned against the door fra, "It’s not like I did anything to provoke it. When I got to the intersection, I don’t know where this dog ca from, but it chased after barking. I ran for my life all the way ho. Thankfully, it didn’t catch up. I locked the gate tight because I was afraid it would follow in."
Yang Peiying was sowhat worried, "You didn’t provoke it, but it still chased after you. We all use that intersection; what do we do now? My sister is even less able to run fast."
Right, with such a dog around, it would scare anyone to death.
Yang Peimin nodded, "I’ll go outside and ask around, see whose dog it is and what’s the deal with it. No idea why it’s chasing people for no reason."
Shen Yixiang quickly nodded, "I’ll catch my breath and go ask around. It scared to death. I was supposed to attend a colleague’s child’s full moon banquet later, and now I’m too afraid to go out."
Yang Peimin glanced at the sky, it was just past five, not dark yet, but by the ti dinner was over, it probably would be. "Why did they arrange it for the evening all of a sudden?"
"That colleague had taken leave for maternity, rember? They just ca back and notified us today. Nevermind, I’ll just have soone send a red envelope on my behalf, I won’t go," said Shen Yixiang, still shaken by the encounter with the fierce dog.
Yang Peimin felt relieved hearing this, "Don’t worry about how good of a colleague they are; when you’re alone at night, it’s better not to go. Nothing is more important than your own safety."
Yang Peiying watched Shen Yixiang nodding vigorously, "I don’t dare to go out either."
Shen Yixiang also went into the kitchen to lend a hand, and soon the al was served.
While they were eating, soone knocked on the courtyard door.
Yang Peiying put down her chopsticks and went to open it, "It must be Yiguang coming back."
Just as Yang Peimin was considering that Shen Yiguang had a key and wouldn’t need to knock, Yang Peiying had already run out.
She ca back after a while, saying it was Brother Qu from the neighboring courtyard who ca to borrow soy sauce.
Yang Peimin then wondered, with so many acquaintances in their own courtyard, why would anyone co to borrow from them?
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