Back to the 60s: The Struggle Career of a Charmed Wife
Chapter 219 - 0219 - Returning to the Door for the Third Time 3_1

Chapter 219: Chapter 0219 - Returning to the Door for the Third Time 3_1

After packing up her things, Feng Qingxue, accompanied by Lu Jiang, found Feng Shuanzhu and obtained proof of their household’s relocation. It was nothing more than a letter of introduction, but once they had it, Wang Zhengguo could register her and her sister as residents of the Wanglou Brigade.

In reality, it didn’t matter whether they had this letter or not. After all, what evidence did Jiang He and the others have? But Feng Qingxue preferred to follow this standard process.

Once they arrived back at the Wanglou Brigade, Lu Jiang called his nephew over to help. In accordance with Feng Qingxue’s instructions, they moved the cupboards, pots, pans, condiments, and a jar for pickled vegetables to the kitchen. The two iron pots, large and small, fit perfectly on the stove top, which was lacking pots.

Previously, when Lu Jiang was not at home and his comrades were unaware, Lu’s father and Wang Zhengguo could not get iron pots. It wasn’t an issue of whether they had the right coupons or not, it was that the city lacked warehouse supplies. The Great Leap Forward initially led to a scarcity of iron goods. Even now, iron was scarce - there was not enough to be used for farming tools, let alone pots. As a result, they had been borrowing a pot from the cattle shed to cook meals.

Meanwhile, the bed, couch, table, chairs, and wardrobes were placed in the east side room which was now ready for occupancy.

Feng Qingxue took the old quilt she had brought back with her and spread it out in the west room of the main hall, arranging it for her sister. Afterwards, she took her dowry of new quilts to the east side room, arranging them for Lu Tianjun, his brother, and the Guan Cheng brothers, all of whom would live there together.

Though the cattle shed could protect them from rain and wind, sleeping on the floor was not a long term solution, especially since it was prone to causing bone-chilling colds.

Now that a new room was available, and there was enough space, there was no way they could allow the growing boys to live with Lu’s father in the cattle shed, potentially harming their health.

Neither Lu Tianzhi nor Guan Yu was in robust health, and therefore needed to be looked after more carefully.

As for Lu’s father, there was no way for him to move to the new room. Firstly, his social status would make moving into the new room seem like a return to the luxurious lifestyle of the landlord era. Secondly, the production brigade had assigned him to look after the cattle, so he had to stay close.

In Feng Qingxue’s mind, an idea formed. She should go to the waste station before the weather got any colder, buy some old wood and make two beds using the disassembled door boards. One bed would be for Lu’s father in the cattle shed and the other would go in the east side room. Currently, the east side room only had one bed, which was not enough for the four boys. Two beds would be just right, two to a bed—both warm and saving space.

After tidying the room and seeing off Uncle Feng and his son, it was almost afternoon.

Feng Qingxue opened the boxes she had brought and distributed shoes. She gave a pair to Lu’s father and then one to each of the Lu Tianjun brothers and the Guan Cheng brothers. Each pair, a black cloth shoe with a thick sole, fit nicely and was comfortable to wear. All of them were made by her maternal aunts and sisters-in-law before her wedding.

"Do Ayu and I also have a pair?" Guan Cheng was ecstatic.

He knew that the shoes the bride brought back from her parents’ house on the day she returned home were called "return shoes," made for the husband’s family. He thought that only Lu’s father and Lu Tianjun and his brother would receive some, but to his surprise, a pair was made for him and his brother as well.

The warmth in his heart was overwhelming, filling him up like the water in the reservoir during the heat of midsummer, almost spilling over.

Feng Qingxue laughed and answered, "Are you and Ayu any different from Tianjun and Tianzhi? If they have shoes, of course you will too!"

Guan Cheng suddenly broke into a glowing smile.

He and his brother were treated just like Tianjun and Tianzhi. They ate the same food, wore the same clothes, did the same work—they were no different at all.

This was better than he could have ever dreamed; it was perfect. The happiness he wouldn’t have dared dream of previously had abruptly arrived. Each morning, he and his brother woke up laughing, carrying their good cheer throughout one day after the next.