Chapter 909: 891. Arrange dormitory
Everyone was chatting in the yard when Qiaoqiao suddenly said this, and all eyes imdiately turned towards Aunt Lianhua.
She was a woman who never stopped working at ho, yet her presence wasn’t very pronounced.
Aunt Lianhua was fifty-two this year, with graying, thinning hair. Her face was round, and when she smiled, wrinkles creased her face. Short in stature, she constantly moved about, never seeming to rest, like an inexhaustible power generator.
But at this mont, this sincerely honest person had red-rimd eyes and a sour nose. For so reason, even though crying might make her a laughingstock, she could not hold back the tears…
“I… I…”
She wiped them away clumsily, wanting to say sothing, yet choked with sobs and couldn’t speak.
Qiaoqiao, sowhat at a loss, let out an “Ah” and was about to ask sothing when Song Tan spoke up directly:
“Fine! Aunt Lianhua is by herself, can we make do with the smallest one? 20 square ters! This 20-square-ter space has a 1m2 bed; can you get used to sleeping in it?”
What’s there not to get used to? Not to ntion Aunt Lianhua had just looked at the apartnt with everyone else – a 20-square-ter space with one bedroom, one living room, one bathroom, plus a small, nice balcony…
What’s there for her not to be satisfied with?
She was married and had no place at her parents’ ho, let alone now that her children are married.
And as for the woman who married into the family, owning no property herself, Qiaoqiao may seem simple-minded, but the words she uttered were forthright—if one day, the man of the house ca back to argue with her and chased her away with a stick, the people in the village might sympathize, might take her in for a day or two, the township might even try to diate.
But all it would take is for soone to say “This is my house,” and she’d have to either swallow her pride and beg for shelter or end up holess and lost like a stray dog…
Her mother-in-law truly treated her like her own daughter, but the other one, she is also flesh from her body! She isn’t just “mother” to herself alone…
The more this was so, the more Aunt Lianhua feared making it difficult for her.
The furthest she had ever been in her life was the urban area, and she didn’t go there more than twice a year. If soone told her to be independent and strong, to divorce and go out to work elsewhere…
She dared not. She was too honest, could only speak the local dialect, and didn’t know many characters. She got married, took care of her husband and children, and later on took care of her paralyzed mother-in-law; she truly spent her whole life in toil.
Working at Song Tan’s house—washing vegetables, tidying up dishes and dinnerware, and occasionally cleaning—ant that during this ti she didn’t have to care for her mother-in-law, nor did she have to think about her children and husband; it was a rare mont of relaxation and peace for her.
And now, Qiaoqiao, who she treated and cared for like her own child, suddenly spoke of allocating her a dormitory—she knew it wasn’t for her.
But… but that was a dormitory! Once assigned, it would belong only to her, a place she would live in by herself!
Aunt Lianhua was completely dazed, but in this daze, she heard everything clearly, so she simply covered her mouth and kept nodding—
She was utterly at a loss for words.
But the kindness of Lao Song’s family didn’t stop there.
Because Song Tan quickly took out a key: “Aunt Lianhua, you’ve been a great help in our ho—here, you’ve been allotted a room on the second floor, the room number is tagged on the key, you can change the lock yourself.”
As if she hadn’t seen Aunt Lianhua’s bloodshot eyes and her distressed expression, at this mont she spoke casually and nonchalantly:
“Right now, the room has only a shower and a squat toilet; the bed, along with the air conditioner and water heater, will be installed together later. There’s also a small desk, but nothing else.”
“You take the key, and during your free ti, you can go up the hill and see what else is missing, anything else you want will have to be furnished by yourself… Things like curtains, chairs, and whatnot, it’s quite a worry too.”
What she ntioned as trouble, to Aunt Lianhua, how could it be trouble? It’s clearly the staircase for her to secure her footing and establish herself, step by step.
At this mont, she was frantically wiping her tears away, her voice still hoarse, yet there was a smile on her face: “No need to worry about curtains, there’s plenty of old bed sheets and quilt covers at ho, I can make them myself!”
As for things like stools, tables, cabinets…she could gradually inquire about these when she goes to the market!
She wasn’t in a hurry!
But maybe the environnt was too good? Why was there even air conditioning and a water heater?
She was slightly anxious: “A fan in the room is enough… In winter we can use a stove to heat… Why install such expensive things? I don’t need them.”
Zhang Yanping however chuckled and interrupted: “Aunt Lianhua, you can’t say no to that. These are all bought in bulk, they’re not expensive. Using a stove isn’t safe.”
“But you won’t be living there for free, you have to pay for the electricity and sanitation fee — when we first applied for the farm, it was specifically planned for agricultural electricity usage.”
“However, after the factory was set up, the dormitory could only use comrcial and residential electricity, which is a bit pricey… That you’ll have to cover yourself.”
The issue brought up was about paying money, yet Aunt Lianhua suddenly felt relieved: “Okay! Fine, I’ll pay it myself… to whom do I give it? Or do I make the paynt directly on WeChat?”
That hasn’t been settled yet!
Song Tan helplessly said: “No rush, Aunt, once we arrange the specific person responsible, we’ll let you know. During the day when you’re free, you can go up and take a look.”
Ah, really, why is there so much fiddly detail involved even after getting the room!
Song Tan turned her head: “Brother Yanping…”
Zhang Yanping: …Please don’t start with , might as well call
the Grand Steward tomorrow! Why do you always dump everything onto my head?
His initial reaction was to refuse, but sohow, before he could refuse, he sneakily cast a glance at Xin Jun — this guy with his bushy eyebrows and big eyes, wouldn’t he throw a boorang back at him?
So he cautiously changed the subject: “No rush, let’s assign the dorms first — where are Professor Song and the others staying?”
Isn’t that obvious!
The best sunny corner room on the second floor, a full 50 square ters, the biggest one! The room at the other end is for Master Jiang, also about the sa size.
No matter how damp-proof the first floor is, it’s slightly damper and the lighting is a bit worse, so for Master Jiang who’s just recovering from a serious illness and the slightly older Professor Song, the second floor without the need to climb stairs is the most suitable.
50 square ters, divided into two bedrooms and a living room, with basic furniture and appliances provided, and the rest they will have to make do with their own taste and arrangent slowly over ti.
Concerning those several small rooms sandwiched in between the two corner rooms, regardless of how many of Professor Song’s three students remain, let’s first clear out the rooms!
Why are many people unwilling to stay and work in rural areas now? Resources are one part of the problem, and the living environnt is another.
Takeaways don’t deliver to the doorstep, packages neither, without a small, separate, enclosed, and safe space for the singles, it’s honestly too much of a survival skill test for most young people who aren’t hard-working or knowledgeable about agriculture.
And now, to attract the Golden Phoenix, one must plant the parasol tree!
Thinking of this, Song Tan couldn’t help but mutter to herself:
“When exactly can Professor Song return?”
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