Chapter 239: Chapter 236: The Mixer Has Arrived

The result was, during the day, Ling Chengyan was still planning to take a break over the weekend to buy clothes and shoes for the children. However, when she came home from work in the evening, she saw a bunch of new clothes and shoes, featuring thousand-layer sole cloth shoes, and clothes stitched with a sewing machine.

Wang Liansheng came over with a meal from the kitchen and laughed, “I went back to my hometown today. The clothes and shoes were made for the children by Aunt and Sister-in-law. Sister-in-law bought a sewing machine and learned sewing from the tailors at the commune, saying these were practice pieces for you, and she hopes you won’t mind.”

Ling Chengyan picked up a jacket with a white base and small green flowers and said, “Sister-in-law learned this work pretty well; it looks quite decent.”

Then added, “Aunt is getting on in years, her eyesight isn’t good. Didn’t you tell her not to make too many, or her eyes might get stressed?”

Wang Liansheng shook his head with a smile, “I did, but no one listens. Aunt said they get help with the fieldwork now, and she feels uncomfortable doing nothing all day, so making a pair of shoes isn’t tiring.”

Ling Chengyan didn’t say any more, put the new clothes and shoes into the wardrobe, washed her hands, and called the children to dinner.

The next day, Zheng Xiaotian brought Xiaoqi Bai over again, bringing vegetables as before. After having lunch at the Ling’s, he casually told Ling Chengyan the news Wang Lianfa had found out: The two courtyards were divided between two branches of the family. The two brothers from the second branch had no objections and split equally. However, the first branch siblings couldn’t agree, with the brother unwilling to give half to his sister, who insisted on gender equality… As the first branch was about to sell the house and move to Hong Kong, the second branch became anxious and reached an agreement to split sixty-forty between the brother and sister.

“However, their courtyard is slightly bigger, with two more rooms, so the asking price is higher…” Zheng Xiaotian added, “The courtyard we bought was priced at five thousand, but we haggled it down to four thousand four. Their courtyard is asking for eight thousand, and by the sound of it, they’re not willing to negotiate.”

Ling Chengyan was not surprised; if siblings could argue over such a small property, it was evident they were greedy. As for negotiating the price, Liu San would be most suited for the job.

“Hmm, I’ll take some time to go have a look at the house,” Ling Chengyan said.

Zheng Xiaotian laughed, “If you buy it, that would be for the best. Let me tell you something else, besides this small courtyard, the siblings also have a whole row of shop fronts from the Local Products Company. It’s reported that the company is also negotiating with them, planning to buy the property rights.”

Ling Chengyan thought about the market front of the Local Products Company. She hadn’t been inside but had passed by on the street, knowing that row of shop fronts wasn’t small, at least six or seven fronts. Although the buildings were dated, the location was excellent, situated near both a teachers’ college and a health school, right at the entrance of the recently restored Huicheng Market, lively with crowds gathering on market days, ideal for business.

Still, while the location was good for selling local products, farm tools, and even food items, it wasn’t suitable for selling clothes and accessories, as they require a clean and tidy environment, and that street got chaotic and dirty on market days.

This was something Ling Chengyan understood well, and she believed someone astute like her cousin Wang Lianfa would understand too. Still, judging by her cousin’s wife’s demeanor, she clearly envied such large shop fronts.

She didn’t ask further or get involved, just listened to her cousin’s wife. Fortunately, Zheng Xiaotian didn’t say much more either; he just smiled and transitioned the conversation to a lighter topic: “Even though those two courtyards are old houses, they’re built with solid materials. When my big brother and you went with your second brother to have a look, they said buying them would just require some refurbishment of the roof, doors, and windows, and replastering the interior walls before moving in. My big brother said when the time comes, leave it all to him; he’d find people to buy the materials at a better price.”

Hearing this set layout, Ling Chengyan couldn’t help but smile, “Then I surely have to thank my big brother and second brother on behalf of my family.”

The two sisters-in-law chatted over the meal, and then Zheng Xiaotian took Xiaoqi Bai back.

Now, her second sister-in-law also had to help look after the store so her second brother could have time to bring in new goods and such. With the establishment of the farmers’ market, a few shops had sprung up inside, selling clothes and a few small accessories and trinkets. Although none compared to the store her second brother and sister-in-law ran, it still prompted the couple to be more vigilant and attentive to their business.

Ling Chengyan saw the children off to school and rode her bicycle to work, reflecting on how her second brother and sister-in-law had worked hard these past two years and reaped some rewards. The year before, they had paid the Xiaoqi Bai penalty. Last year, they built a new house for her uncle and aunt, bought a television, and her second brother got a motorcycle. Now, they could even put down four thousand-something to buy a courtyard… Even if part of the money came through loans, it was still quite an accomplishment.

Calculating it, her second brother’s family was already a ten-thousand-yuan household.

Busy days flew by quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was almost the end of the New Year festival. Xu Dong, who had been making preparations for the military-civilian gathering for several days, finalized the date.

On the second day of the lunar calendar, the day known as the “Dragon Raising Its Head” day, the weather was pleasant, with a touch of early spring’s gentle warmth in the air.

The Special Service Company was thoroughly cleaned inside and out, the young lads were all neatly dressed and spruced up, brimming with energy. The dining hall, just newly built, was decorated with streamers, ribbons, and balloons, including a cassette player contributed by Ling Chengyan, playing songs like “Young Friends Come To Meet,” “Night at the Naval Port,” and “Riding The Waves.” The cheerful and melodious songs resonated with the youthful exuberance of the attendees, akin to having little rabbits excitedly hopping in their hearts, filled with anticipation and hope.

The tables were arranged neatly, with new tablecloths, teacups, sunflower seeds, candies, and fruits placed in a circle in the spacious new dining hall. A space was left in the middle for games and performances.

The Political Commissioner’s wife, Liu Caixia, was the office director, also responsible for women’s affairs. She was the one who connected with the district women’s federation for this event, with herself and Xu Dong mainly handling the reception.

Checking the watch revealed it was already half-past seven. Liu Caixia called to Xu Dong, “Quick, they’ll be here soon, we should head to the front gate and welcome them.”

Thus, the boys who were arranging the venue moved outside to line up and shortly arrived at the main gate.

There were large red banners hung as well, and as the boys reached the gate, they stood on either side.

Seeing the formation, Ling Chengyan looked back at Political Commissioner He and Staff Officer Xing with a smile, “Look at our lined-up welcoming ceremony. Isn’t the reception standard high enough?”

Political Commissioner He chuckled, “Make sure you’re not too enthusiastic, don’t scare the girls away.”

Staff Officer Xing snorted in laughter, “You should not say anything either; back when you were a bachelor, you weren’t much different from these lads.”

Political Commissioner He, having his past revealed, shot a fierce glare at his old comrade. However, in the blink of an eye, he saw Staff Officer Xing and Ling Chengyan already striding towards the outside.

Two large trucks drove through the gate, slowly coming to a stop — the organizations participating in the gathering had arrived.

Alongside the two leaders, Ling Chengyan reached the front of the dining hall. Meanwhile, Xu Dong and Liu Caixia, with the young boys, had come to stand before the vehicles. Liu Caixia cheerfully called out, as handsome young men in uniform moved chairs over to the trucks, while others stepped forward to open the tailgates.

With a smiling face, Liu Caixia moved forward to greet the women’s federation, school, and hospital officials disembarking from the cab. Xu Dong, on the other hand, gave the young men a nudge — hey, stop standing there like fools, here’s the perfect chance to show off!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep