Yan Runzhi smiled and said, “It’s harder to get into the city than to reach the sky. Where we come from, only people from the city can go to the countryside, but those from the countryside can’t enter the city. When you retire, you should come live in our countryside. It’s spacious and not crowded at all.” Jiang Erge and Jiang Xinglei don’t have jobs, and in a couple of years, Xu Aimei will retire and let one of her sons take over.

Right now, formal jobs can be handed down, so unless someone makes a mistake and loses their job or new job positions are created, they generally don’t hire outsiders.

Even if they do hire, it’s usually high school graduates.

They went to the city and found Jiang Lin and Jiang Xinglei at home.

Jiang Lin was talking about designing a stove for their new home.

Da Bao and Xiao Bao immediately ran over. “Mom, can we visit Uncle and Second Uncle’s factory tomorrow?”

They visited the auto parts factory yesterday and want to see the radio factory next.

The radio factory was a military factory in the 1950s and 60s, but it converted to civilian use in the late 1960s.

Now it produces various civilian products like radios.

Da Bao and Xiao Bao are very curious and want to go see it, especially since Uncle promised to give them each a radio.

Getting the finished product isn’t easy due to strict policies.

Brother Jiang buys parts and assembles them himself, which is the same to him.

Jiang Lin said, “You should go. Tomorrow Mom and Dad are helping Grandma build a stove.”

Jiang Lin also gave Xu Aimei fifty pounds of grain tickets. “Mom, these are from Cheng Rushan.”

Xu Aimei asked, “Why so much? Thirty pounds would be enough for your five-six day stay.”

Jiang Lin replied, “Mom, just take it. We have land in the countryside, where food is easier to get than in the city.”

Xu Aimei worried about feeding many family members and accepted the tickets.

Yan Runzhi asked about their plans for the evening.

She and Xu Aimei would cook today.

Jiang Lin glanced at the rooster outside. “Judging by the rooster, today’s a good day for chicken.”

Everyone laughed.

Da Bao said, “I thought the same last night. Let’s have chicken.”

Xiao Bao added, “My stomach’s growling for chicken.”

Wen Sheng: “… I want to say it, but I can’t. Eat chicken.”

So everyone decided to eat the rooster today; they couldn’t wait until tomorrow.

Yan Runzhi: “Baobao’s mom, are we stewing the chicken?”

Jiang Lin casually replied, “How about making big plate chicken?”

The whole family, lacking rich food for a long time, found plain stewing unsatisfying.

They needed something cooked with plenty of oil and strong flavors to call it a hearty dish.

She knew how to eat but wasn’t very good at cooking, though she understood the basic steps.

Every foodie once believed they were a little cooking expert, only to face the reality of repeated failures despite good intentions.

Most people realized they were better at eating, though their desire to cook well never waned.

She explained the method of making big plate chicken to Yan Runzhi.

The key step was caramelizing the sugar, which was not a problem for Yan Runzhi.

Xu Aimei brought out the family’s stock of rock sugar, adding a spoonful of white sugar, which was just enough.

Caramelizing the sugar, frying the chicken, adding various seasonings and cooking wine, and simmering with water were straightforward steps.

Because there were many children, they would only add chili peppers and green peppers after the dish was stewed.

Jiang Lin said to Xu Aimei, “Mom, please find a way to improve my second brother’s health. He needs to eat something nutritious.” Eggs, fine noodles, milk, and such, eaten regularly, could still strengthen his body.

Xu Aimei sighed, “Your second brother has damaged his vitality. When it gets cold, he starts coughing and can’t eat well. It’s especially worse in the cold winter.”

The house was full of problems, but they couldn’t be fixed in a day or two. Fortunately, after so many years, the family was used to it.

Song Lijuan was cooking sugar water hawthorn to satisfy the kids’ cravings.

She brought a small bowl to Jiang Lin and Xu Aimei.

Hearing them talk about the second brother, she said, “Mom, now that we’ve moved to the big house, why don’t we build a kang bed-stove like Aunt’s? Aunt said that sleeping on a kang in the countryside is warm in winter and cool in summer. It’s better than a regular bed.”

At first, Song Lijuan was concerned about the money spent on the second brother’s medical treatments.

But over time, she came to understand his personality and knew he was kind-hearted.

Instead of complaining, she began to care for him actively.

Especially after having children, she noticed her husband remained indifferent, and the second brother cared for the children more than their father did.

Song Lijuan treated the second brother better, even sharing her son’s milk with him.

After all, she was the only daughter-in-law without any sister-in-law, so there were fewer conflicts.

Xu Aimei hesitated, “No one around here does that. Will it be okay…?”

Everyone else sleeps on beds; would building a kang make them a laughingstock?

Jiang Lin said, “Mom, I slept on a kang in the countryside, and it was more comfortable. Warm in winter, cool in summer. The kang is big, and the kids can play and do their homework on it. Why not build one room with a kang and keep a bed in the other room?” The house is big enough; they could divide it into north and south rooms.

The main room could also be partitioned to make a small north room for a small bed.

When Qinqin grows up, she could have her own space.

She had checked, and the walls of that house had chimneys, and the floor was mud, not cement.

Originally, there must have been a kang, but it was dismantled for some reason later.

Jiang Lin brought over a piece of paper and, borrowing Qinqin’s pencil, began sketching out the rooms to scale.

Having visited the house before, she had a good sense of its shape and dimensions.

Now, with a few strokes, she designed the functions of each room.

Curiously, Qinqin looked over and exclaimed, “Auntie, what about my room?”

Jiang Lin smiled and replied, “You’re a girl. When you’re older, you’ll want your own space. You can’t keep sharing a bed with your little brother forever, can you?”

Qinqin was excited. “But my mom…”

She glanced at Song Lijuan.

Song Lijuan was about to say something about girls needing their own rooms, but seeing Jiang Lin, she immediately held back. “If your aunt can arrange it for you, then you can live there.”

After all, she was the only daughter-in-law with children in the house.

There were no other sisters-in-law to consider, so both sides favored her children.

Besides, her in-laws didn’t mind their granddaughter, so why would they object to their niece?

Qinqin immediately grabbed Jiang Lin’s arm in excitement. “Auntie, my mom said it’s okay!”

Jiang Lin earnestly began to plan.

In the east room, she would build a kang bed-stove in the south and place the original bed in the north, with cabinets and furniture in between.

In winter, Xu Aimei and her husband could sleep on the kang with Jiang Er-ge and Jiang Xinglei; in summer, they could separate.

They could just hang a curtain in the middle to divide the space.

In the main room, she planned to build a stove against the east wall for cooking, while on the west side, she would place the previous stove, gas stove, and small water tank and bucket.

The middle would serve as a hallway, and she would partition off a small room with wooden boards in the north, placing a small bed inside.

She could also install some shelves on the walls for storage.

Jiang Dongjian and Cheng Yunzhi came over to look and agreed that it was a good plan.

Jiang Lin said, “Dad, when you get back, take Cheng Rushan to get some bricks and adobe bricks. We’ll help you build a stove on the kang.”

Jiang Xinglei couldn’t help but tease her, “Sis, don’t brag. My brother-in-law knows how. You should just leave it to him.”

Jiang Lin retorted, “What’s that supposed to mean? I’ve been in the countryside for so many years, I’ve seen enough. You think everyone’s like you, lazing around all day?”

In the past, Xu Aimei would have criticized her daughter for not giving her brother face, but now she also added, “When your sister and them leave, you go back to the city and work properly. Don’t keep coming home for no reason.”

Jiang Xinglei said, “I’m selling handkerchiefs for my sister now.”

He went over to Yan Runzhi, who was picking vegetables. “Auntie, make more of those small-patterned ones. City folks love them. And not just handkerchiefs, but also backpacks, the kind you carry on your shoulder. Rough cotton, sturdy, with a bit of embroidery, very stylish.”

Yan Runzhi asked, “Those simple embroideries, can your sisters do them? Are people buying them?”

Jiang Xinglei chuckled, “Auntie, you’re overestimating them. What can they do? Some of our classmates can barely sew on a button, and they do it terribly.”

He was obviously exaggerating.

Despite the girls not being skilled in embroidery or dressmaking, they could still mend clothes if needed.

In the afternoon, Cheng Rushan returned from outside.

Jiang Lin pulled him over to look at the designed rooms, the kang bed-stove, and the stove.

Cheng Rushan helped her finalize the plans and talked to her about Dai Guohua and Duan Changan.

Dai Guohua has been busy running errands around the provincial capital these days, accompanied by Duan Changan, so Cheng Rushan didn’t need to go.

Next time Dai Guohua has business, Cheng Rushan will take Duan Changan along.

Cheng Rushan figured it would be about two more days before he could ask Dai Guohua about the schedule and arrange a convenient time for them to be picked up, estimating they could stay for another two days.

Duan Changan has been doing well accompanying Dai Guohua.

The young lad is talkative and gets along well with Dai Guohua.

Dai Guohua said that having Duan Changan around, even with just a radio, is quite enjoyable, as he loves to sing and talk.

Jiang Lin praised him, “You have good judgment. You picked well.”

Cheng Rushan glanced around.

Xu Aimei and Yan Runzhi were plucking feathers from a bald chicken, Cheng Yunzhi and Jiang Dongjian were playing chess, Song Lijuan was busy picking vegetables, Wen Sheng and a group of children were playing with a radio and a telescope…

He quickly kissed Jiang Lin on the cheek and then saw Jiang Xinglei with his mouth wide open, biting down on an apple, which dropped with a loud thud.

Cheng Rushan continued talking to Jiang Lin as if nothing had happened, and he casually used his finger to wipe off the blush on her cheek, cooling her down a bit.

Jiang Lin gave him a stern look, but Cheng Rushan just smiled.

Jiang Xinglei: “… Shameless.”

Cheng Rushan told Jiang Lin, “By the way, I ran into Sun Qinghui today. He didn’t get hired, but Ye Jing did. There was also another person who got hired.”

This time, six people came back together, and getting two jobs was considered pretty good.

Jiang Lin was happy for them. “Are Sun Qinghui and the others coming back with us?”

“I don’t know what time Dai Guohua and them are coming. I didn’t make plans with them.”

Cheng Rushan and Jiang Lin went to check out the house, measuring dimensions and calculating how much brick, cement board, lumber, and cement they would need.

They added a bit extra for comfort and wrote it all down to give to Jiang Dongjian.

The quantities needed weren’t large; they could bring everything back in one trip with a tractor borrowed from the auto parts factory.

The building materials factory didn’t produce cement and bricks, but they manufactured prefabricated items like cement boards and stocked a large quantity of bricks and tiles.

They had a mutual arrangement with the brick factory, allowing locals to use vouchers to collect bricks and tiles.

Cheng Rushan gave the person in charge there two packs of cigarettes in exchange for the needed bricks, cement boards, cement, lumber, and more.

Since they didn’t need much, he noticed some wheat straw used for padding and had Jiang Dongjian bundle some to shred and use as bedding material for the kang.

By the time they returned with the purchases, Jiang Da and Erge had finished work and returned home carrying a bag of parts to assemble radios for Dabao and Xiaobao.

The children, including Wensheng, immediately gathered around.

Luckily, they were assembling radios for Dabao and Xiaobao.

If it were for someone else, Qinqin and Xiaoke would definitely be jealous and unhappy.

Even their dad wouldn’t assemble them; it would have to be Uncle Erge.

But because it was for Dabao and Xiaobao, they felt it was appropriate and wanted to give their younger brothers the best.

Soon, the hearty chicken dish was ready, its aroma wafting through several alleys.

Xu Aimei called out, “Dinner’s ready!”

The chicken, raised at home and fed grains and wild vegetables, was not only fresh and flavorful but also had firm, elastic skin. It was sticky and tender, with excellent texture and taste.

The whole family ate joyfully.

Song Lijuan even remarked, “Is today’s chicken tastier than the one we had the other day?”

Xiaoke chimed in, “Grandma’s cooking is even more delicious!”

Dabao, Xiaobao, and Wensheng immediately smiled with pride, basking in the admiring glances of everyone.

Song Lijuan said, “Auntie, your cooking is just delightful.”

She used to think, what difference did cooking make?

Without oil and meat every day, any meal would taste bad.

But if you had plenty of fish and meat, any dish would be delicious.

Now she realized that although they were all stewing chicken, Yan Runzhi’s cooking was simply better than hers.

She quickly sought Yan Runzhi’s advice.

Xu Aimei laughed, “Even if you learn, it’s no use. We barely get to eat chicken twice a year.”

Jiang Lin said, “The future will definitely get better. Once a month is still possible.”

Jiang Xinglei teased, “Sis, you’re just boasting.”

He noticed how impressive his sister had become after getting married—she could really boast, and his brother-in-law spoiled her quite a bit.

Jiang Lin replied, “I see you loafing around at home. Why not come with me to Shuihuicun to make bricks? As long as you’re strong enough, you can earn a day’s meal money.”

Jiang Lin thought, despite his laziness, he was tall and healthy, naturally strong.

He might struggle at first but could toughen up.

No matter what, one needed a strong will; otherwise, everything became too tiring to continue, like fishing three days and drying nets for two—inevitably achieving nothing.

Moreover, Jiang Xinglei had his share of issues and needed toughening in a challenging environment.

Staying by his parents’ side, he was too pampered.

“You think swiping a couple of letters and a few lashes with a broom will cut it? Haha, too naive!”

Jiang Xinglei retorted, “A whole dollar? You’re exaggerating!”

Jiang Lin smirked, “Ask your brother-in-law.”

Cheng Rushan nodded, “If it were me, I could earn at least four.”

Jiang Xinglei couldn’t sit still. “Let’s go then, right now. If we can’t earn a dollar…”

“Then you’re just lazy and stupid!” Jiang Lin cut him off, sealing the deal. “Don’t come back without making at least a dollar. Don’t embarrass yourself.”

Dabao, Xiaobao, and Wensheng laughed heartily.

Jiang Dongjian said, “Don’t let him go, it’ll just cause trouble for you all.”

Jiang Lin replied, “Dad, it’s okay, we don’t mind trouble. How many educated youth did our village host?”

Bringing Jiang Xinglei down to toughen him up, so that next year he would concentrate on studying for the college entrance examination.

Otherwise, with his current carefree attitude, would he be able to focus on his studies?

Only by experiencing the hardest and most exhausting times would he say in the future when faced with difficulties and hardships: “Is this all? I’ve even made bricks before.”

Jiang Xinglei didn’t yet understand how physically demanding making bricks could be.

He only thought about earning a dollar a day—pretty good!

Especially when Dabao and Xiaobao kept saying how fun the brick kiln factory was, he couldn’t wait to go tonight.

Cheng Rushan smiled at Jiang Lin and gestured with his eyes: My wife is really tough; I really like that.