The next day, Ning Shu and Lin Guodong had breakfast at a state-run restaurant.

Shortly after returning to the guesthouse, Xiao Hou arrived to take Lin Guodong to the army.

With nothing else to do, Ning Shu went to the old house in the courtyard.

She drew a layout of each room and sketched out renovation ideas.

It was 1977, and by the time they moved in, it would be 1978.

The country’s ideology was becoming more open, and home decor was no longer considered a capitalist extravagance.

They could now renovate their rooms as they liked.

The small villa had one room downstairs, which could be turned into a guest room.

They probably wouldn’t have other guests, except for old friends from the Qinglin Bay Production Team.

This room would be reserved for them.

Upstairs, there were three rooms and a study.

The study was designated for Lin Guodong, as his work required privacy.

The remaining three rooms included the master bedroom and two additional rooms.

Ning Shu chose the largest room for the three children’s bedroom, and the other room would be used as a spare.

If there were more guests than the downstairs room could accommodate, they could use the room upstairs.

If not, it would be used as a walk-in closet for seasonal clothes for the children, herself, and Lin Guodong.

As for the children’s study, Ning Shu decided not to prepare a separate one.

She planned to design the children’s room to resemble a college dormitory, with bunk beds, a desk, bookshelf, and wardrobe.

The small villa was well-located but a bit small for a family of five.

If the price was right and they found a suitable house, she would consider buying a more comfortable place.

After all, a girl should have her own walk-in closet!

Ning Shu designed every part of the house—the rooms, bathroom, living area, tea area, and kitchen—according to modern tastes, even though many appliances were unavailable.

She bought what she could in this era.

It was finally 1977, and she wanted to create a comfortable living environment.

There’s a saying in later years: “Life is yours; even if the house is rented, you should still have a good living environment.”

Ning Shu felt this way.

After working hard all morning, she had lunch at the state-run restaurant and continued her work in the afternoon.

Despite her busy schedule, she didn’t forget the appointment she had made for 3 PM.

However, when 3 PM arrived, Ning Shu found she hadn’t heard from the other party.

She looked at the time and thought that perhaps the person was delayed or was simply not punctual.

She decided to wait a bit longer.

Ning Shu decided to wait a bit longer. By 3:30 PM, more than half an hour had passed, and the other party still hadn’t arrived.

Ning Shu grew impatient.

She thought for a moment and decided to stop waiting.

She went next door directly.

“Aunt Zhang, is Zhang Cuilan here?”

Zhang Cuilan was preparing dinner for the main family.

Hearing Ning Shu’s voice, she responded loudly, “Yes, yes… just a moment, I’ll be right there.”

Even though Zhang Cuilan was a distant relative, she was also working as a housekeeper.

She was very principled and never brought outsiders into the house during work hours or rest time.

Once Zhang Cuilan finished cooking and served the food, she hurried out.

Seeing Ning Shu, she smiled and said, “Comrade, haven’t the things in the house been moved out?”

Ning Shu raised an eyebrow at Zhang Cuilan’s comment and her expression.

It seemed Zhang Cuilan had expected that the items wouldn’t be moved easily.

“Yes, Aunt Zhang, you’re really perceptive,” Ning Shu smiled.

Zhang Cuilan also smiled and said, “We’ve all lived here for over ten or twenty years, so we know a bit about our neighbors. Commander Lu is easy to talk to, but the head of the Lu family is his wife.

She used to come from a capitalist family, but after the capitalists were purged, she severed ties with her family, who fled abroad.

Although her family fell behind, Commander Lu has always been good to her.”

This was common knowledge in the courtyard, so Zhang Cuilan mentioned it without concern, as a favor to a neighbor.

So, today’s delay in moving things was likely due to Commander Lu’s wife.

Ning Shu thought that if Commander Lu had retired and his wife was unwilling to move the items, it was likely they didn’t care about the embarrassment.

Therefore, she asked, “Aunt Zhang, do you know about Commander Lu’s children?”

Parents might be shameless, but their children are usually their soft spot.

If Commander Lu and his wife weren’t going to move the items, she would go to their children’s workplaces.

She wouldn’t feel embarrassed about it.

“Ah, I know…” Zhang Cuilan said. “Commander Lu has three sons and one daughter. The second and third sons have been sent to the countryside, and the eldest son and daughter…”

After hearing Zhang Cuilan’s words, Ning Shu had a clear idea.

This meant the eldest son and daughter might be useful. “Thank you, Aunt Zhang. I won’t disturb you any longer.”

“Alright, take care,” Zhang Cuilan said as she went back to continue cooking dinner.

She was confident in what she had shared, as it was common knowledge.

Because of the way Mrs. Lu used to mock her, She is now feeling somewhat satisfied seeing the Lu family’s decline.

They’re worse off than she is, even though she’s just a maid.

After leaving, Ning Shu didn’t immediately go to find Mr. Lu’s children.

Since they were in the capital, she decided to wait for Lin Guodong to come back and discuss the matter with him.

…

When Lin Guodong returned, it was already dinner time.

He headed straight to the courtyard because the Lu family should have been moving things at this time.

If they had already moved, then Mrs. Lu should be organizing things.

But when Lin Guodong arrived at the small house, he found the door open with no sign of activity.

“Ning Shu…” he called out as he walked into the yard.

Hearing his voice, Ning Shu came out from the house. “You’re back from work? Have you eaten dinner? I bought dinner from the state-run restaurant and got a portion for you.”

“I haven’t eaten,” Lin Guodong replied, realizing she must have been waiting. “Did the Lu family move anything today? What did they say?” The state of the house made it clear they hadn’t moved, which was disappointing.

“Nothing at all…” Ning Shu said, frustrated. “They didn’t even show up.” She opened the food box as she spoke. “By the way, I asked Aunt Zhang next door about the Lv family’s children. The Lu family has three sons and one daughter.

The second and third sons have gone to the countryside, but the eldest son and daughter are still in the capital.

Since the Lv couple clearly can’t be trusted, I plan to go to the workplaces of the Lu children to see what they say and whether they care about their parents’ behavior.”

Lin Guodong thought for a moment. “How about tomorrow, I bring some soldiers from the army to help move these things to the Lu family’s courtyard?”

Ning Shu said, “What if they refuse to accept the stuff once we move it there?” She didn’t think it was fair to have them move the items.

Lin Guodong chuckled lightly. “You’re overthinking it. We’ll just move the items and leave them there without worrying about whether they accept them.”

Ning Shu continued, “But what if something gets damaged during the move? What if they claim we caused the damage, even if the items were already problematic?”

Lin Guodong was puzzled. “Why do you always think of these issues? How about I bring a witness from the army?”

“That sounds good. Bring a witness,” Ning Shu agreed. “By the way, can we use a loudspeaker when we move the stuff?”

Ning Shu was still angry.

The other party hadn’t shown up or even notified them, and they were expected to move out.

It felt like they were being bullied.

Lin Guodong knew she was upset and said, “Moving our things is already very noticeable. We don’t need to shout through a loudspeaker; everyone will see.”

Ning Shu was just venting her frustration and wasn’t actually going to use a loudspeaker. “Alright.”

After having dinner in the courtyard and tidying up, they were about to leave when they saw a few people chatting outside the gate.

Lin Guodong, due to his profession, naturally observed the surroundings.

When he saw one person, he stopped in his tracks—he recognized him.

At the same time, the person locked eyes with Lin Guodong and shouted, “You… you… you’re Lin Guodong?” He ran a few steps towards them.

“Huh?” Ning Shu looked at the man shouting.

He seemed to be about Lin Guodong’s age. Was he a friend from Lin Guodong’s school days?

Lin Guodong nodded, “Are you Yu He?”

“Yes, yes, that’s me… Oh, you’re the new residents of this house? What a coincidence! Our home is next door,” Yu He pointed to the adjacent small villa. “You haven’t changed at all. I recognized you right away. Impressive, right?”

Lin Guodong nodded, “Yes, this is my wife, Ning Shu. Ning Shu, this is Yu He, a childhood friend of Ling Yuanhua. I met Yu He with Ling Yuanhua when I was in military school.”

Ling Yuanhua was the one who recommended Lin Guodong’s transfer to the capital and was Lin Guodong’s brother-in-arms during his military school days.

“Hello, Comrade Yu,” Ning Shu greeted with a smile.

It was quite a coincidence that Yu He lived next door.

The world felt big and small at the same time. It was nice to have a familiar face nearby.

“Hello, hello,” Yu He greeted back and continued, “So you’re moving into the Lu family’s house? When will you move in? Let’s invite old friends and have a gathering.”

Lin Guodong explained, “We planned to move in after the Lu family moved their furniture today. We scheduled for them to come at 3 PM, but there’s been no news yet.” He explained the situation.

Yu He chuckled, “That’s probably because Uncle Lu’s capitalist wife is causing trouble. She’s well-known for this. If they don’t come to move the things, what are your plans?”

Lin Guodong replied, “I’ll ask the soldiers from the army to help move everything tomorrow.”

Yu He had an idea: “No need to go through all that trouble. I’ll call some people now, and we can move the things right away. How about that?”