CHAPTER 225: 225 READY

"I don’t know either. My dad says he wants me to apply to the Normal University in the Provincial City."

"Being a teacher is pretty good too, with winter and summer breaks."

"I don’t know, don’t particularly like anything, so I’m listening to my family."

Jiang Xinyu took out two tea eggs and handed one to Liu Tingting. This little girl isn’t someone who takes advantage of others. She also took out some fried dough twists for them to snack on.

Three days later, Jiang Xinyu got off the train. They both felt somewhat reluctant. They had already exchanged contact information.

It was already past three in the afternoon. Not pausing, Jiang Xinyu carried her luggage and went home.

Upon opening the gate, it was evident that no one had been here for a long time. The courtyard was still covered with thick snow.

The lock on the main house was also opened. It felt colder inside than outside, a chilly dampness.

Hurriedly, she put down her luggage and lit a fire. The water well in the courtyard needed a lot of effort to finally draw water. The big pot was lit, boiling water. The stove was also burning; otherwise, it would be too cold.

She then found a shovel in the side room to clear the snow, piling it up around the sides. She cleared the doorway but decided against tackling the roof since there was no ladder.

The water in the big pot boiled, and she filled the thermos with hot water. The house was finally warming up.

She was already sweating, but the house still needed cleaning, so she resignedly got up and continued working.

By nine, she was finally sitting in the tub, taking a bath.

After her bath, she put the tub away and sat down to eat. A beef and scallion bun and half a bowl of porridge.

After eating, she lay in bed, thinking about visiting Lu Weiqi tomorrow, wondering if he’d follow along. It was already the twentieth day of the twelfth lunar month; Wei Kaiyun should be back by now.

She got up in the middle of the night to add coal, so she lazed in bed till nine in the morning.

After breakfast, she went out for a stroll, but going to the textile factory like this seemed a bit too bold?

She strolled to the factory gate, wrapped herself up tightly, and asked the gatekeeper.

"Comrade, I’d like to speak to Lu Weiqi, Secretary Lu."

"And you are?"

This might work. "I’m a friend of his; could you call him out for me?"

"Please hold on while I make a call."

After about fifteen minutes, Lu Weiqi came out to see Jiang Xinyu outside the gate, "Director Jiang?"

"Secretary Lu, let’s go over there. I need to ask you something."

"Hmm, aren’t you coming inside?"

"Not this time."

As they left the gate, "Where’s Wei Kaiyun?"

"Director Wei will probably be back on the twenty-seventh."

"Got it. Thank you, Secretary Lu."

"No need to be so formal. Director Jiang, when did you arrive? Are you staying at home now?"

"I arrived yesterday afternoon, settled at home. Pardon me, I’ll head back now."

"Alright, I’ll drop off some New Year’s goods after I finish work."

Jiang Xinyu nodded, feeling a bit unhappy. Why hasn’t Wei Kaiyun called her?

She wandered to the supply and marketing cooperative, bought a few pieces of tofu, put them in a lunchbox. She also bought a bottle of soy sauce, a bottle of vinegar, and two pounds of salt.

Back home, she took out a lot of grains, seafood, and meat. For lunch, she steamed yams and sweet potatoes in the big pot, leaving them for later consumption.

By seven in the evening, the door was knocked. Jiang Xinyu opened it, and Lu Weiqi brought a lot of items: white flour, noodles, cabbage, radishes, a piece of pork, a leg of lamb, and a basket of eggs.

"Thank you, Secretary Lu."

"You’re welcome, Director Jiang. This was instructed by Director Wei. I didn’t have a key, so I couldn’t come to clear the snow." Lu Weiqi, looking at the neatly cleaned yard, hastily explained.

Jiang Xinyu smiled, and they moved everything inside. Lu Weiqi bid farewell and left. It seemed Director Jiang wasn’t in a good mood; Director Wei wouldn’t be back for a few days, so he’d better prepare something quickly.

That afternoon, Jiang Xinyu read at home. The house was warm now, and she sat on the kang, so she didn’t feel cold.

Early the next morning, she went to the supply cooperative again, this time with a basin, buying ten pieces of tofu and several pieces of fermented tofu. Surprisingly, there were hairtail fish available, so she bought a few pounds.

Back home, she buried the hairtail directly in the snowpile. She didn’t feel like eating it today, better wait for Wei Kaiyun to come back before eating.

On Xiaonian, she went to the cooperative again, bought two pounds of meat, always planning to buy when she saw it.

She also bought a set of pig head offal, figuring she might as well make something difficult since she had nothing else to do.

For lunch, she cooked dumplings for herself to mark the occasion.

On the twenty-fourth, she bought another two pounds of meat, another set of pig offal, and a leg of lamb.

With these preparations, it should be enough. That afternoon, she started stewing the offal.

Lu Weiqi came over in the evening to deliver some meat and eggs, and two carp, already smelling the aromatic aroma from a distance.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Jiang Xinyu gave him half a pig head to take back.

The table in the west room was already filled with food; fear of mice prompted her to cover it with cabbage leaves and weigh it down with boards.

On the morning of the twenty-fifth, she bought a rack of ribs and a femur from a pig.

After a lot of persuasion, they helped chop them up. Otherwise, without a cleaver at home, it would truly be troublesome.

On the twenty-sixth, she started making braised pork, using over twenty pounds of meat for stewing, filling a large basin. She also had over ten pieces of slab meat reserved for slicing and steaming.

Busy from morning till evening, she lay down in a slightly warm bed, feeling particularly comfortable on her back.

Suddenly, in the middle of the night, she heard a knock at the door, giving her a fright.

"Who is it?"

"Darling, I’m back."

Jiang Xinyu immediately got up and opened the main house door, where she was lifted up.

"Put me down, it’s so cold!"

Wei Kaiyun quickly responded, taking large strides indoors and placing Jiang Xinyu on the kang, tucking her into the quilt.

With just a fifteen-watt bulb lighting the room, it was still possible to clearly see the person she had been longing for day and night.

Stretching out his hand to touch her face, he felt it was too cold, so he bent down and lightly kissed her forehead. "Darling, wait for me."

Jiang Xinyu also looked at Wei Kaiyun, noticing how he had lost so much weight. He had even tanned visibly under the light.

Wei Kaiyun rushed out, seeing a pot with hot water on the stove and warm water in the thermos.

Jiang Xinyu sat up and dressed, knowing Wei Kaiyun must not have eaten yet at this hour.

Getting up to check on the stove’s fire, she couldn’t help but use firewood to burn the big pot. Bringing in sauerkraut and cooked meat dumplings, made in the afternoon the previous day and frozen outside.

She cooked forty dumplings for him, fearing he wouldn’t have enough.

In the west room, Wei Kaiyun, while bathing, heard the commotion in the main room and grinned.

Jiang Xinyu prepared new autumn clothes and pants for him, leaving them on the kang.

Wei Kaiyun came out draped in a cotton coat, from behind holding Jiang Xinyu tightly. "Darling, darling." Smothering her with kisses, making Jiang Xinyu dizzy.

"Let me go, the dumplings are ready."

"I want to eat you right now." Wei Kaiyun was also gasping for breath.

"Go change clothes, I’ll bring the dumplings in."