Chapter 106: Making Preparations

He Yuzhu's wedding banquet for He Yushui could be said to have ended amid general happiness; even Jia Zhangshi, who always liked to cause trouble, didn't stir up anything, and the whole process was just them honestly eating there—maybe the food was so good she just focused on eating and had no time for anything else. In fact, Jia Zhangshi is no longer the original Jia Zhangshi; since the Jia family fell out with Yi Zhonghai, the Jia family have kept a low profile, and they've actually come to understand that all they need to do is live their own lives well. Before, with Yi Zhonghai partial to them, even minor quarrels with neighbors weren't a big deal because he would smooth things over, but now things are different—no one will stand up for them anymore—so Jia Zhangshi has become honest as well.

The next day, Zhuang Yan came to fetch the bride amid a burst of firecrackers.

'He Yushui, after you marry, come back to visit often; you're grown now, so honor your parents-in-law and live well with Xiao Zhuang,' Zhou Rong said, holding He Yushui's hand.

'I understand, second sister-in-law, I'll come back to visit you often,' He Yushui said with tears in her eyes; now she was about to leave the siheyuan where she had lived for over twenty years, and tomorrow her family would become relatives, filling her heart with an inexplicable sourness.

'He Yushui, if you need anything, be sure to tell us,' Yu Li said, holding He Yushui's other hand reluctantly; she had treated He Yushui like a real younger sister ever since marrying into the He family many years ago, and their aunt‑in‑law relationship was very close, so although she was happy for He Yushui's wedding, she still felt utterly reluctant.

'All right, He Yushui, getting married doesn't mean you'll never come back—it's not far away, so if you miss her you can visit often; otherwise you'll miss the auspicious moment,' Li Qiang said, walking over and smiling at the three aunt‑in‑laws; he too felt reluctant inside, thinking back to how that little girl had grown up and married, and he couldn't help but sigh how quickly time passes.

'He Yushui, your second brother is right—hurry and go with Xiao Zhuang, don't miss the auspicious time,' Yang Fen said, walking over.

'Mm,' He Yushui replied, nodding her head slightly.

Not long after He Yushui's wedding, Zhou Rong gave Li Qiang a daughter, which made him excited for several days; everyone says a daughter is parents' little padded jacket, and now he too had both a son and a daughter—before crossing over he had been a lone bachelor, but he never imagined that after crossing over he would have a happy family with both a son and a daughter, making this crossing worthwhile.

In the blink of an eye it was the year 76; for the people of the country, this was an extraordinary year—first our beloved premier passed away, then the shocking Tangshan earthquake occurred, on September 9 our great mentor departed, the nation mourned, and this year also saw the end of the ten‑year mass movement.

'Second brother, what's up with this summer? People are so hot they can't catch their breath,' He Yuzhu complained; this summer really was a bit abnormal, especially muggy, and as a cook He Yuzhu is constantly at the stove, so since the start of summer his clothes have never been dry.

'You're constantly at the stove, so drink plenty of water and make sure you don't get heatstroke,' Li Qiang reminded.

'Don't worry, I'm not a kid—I've got that big tea jar, and I don't even remember how many jars of water I drink in a day,' He Yuzhu said with a laugh.

'By the way, tomorrow I'm going to the timber market to buy some lumber; if you're not busy, come help me.'

'Sure. Tomorrow's Sunday and I have nothing else to do—by the way, why are you buying lumber?' He Yuzhu asked curiously.

'Li Yan is grown now and wants a desk and wardrobe. I'll buy some lumber and have someone make one for her,' Li Qiang's daughter Li Wan is also ten years old, his son Li Tao is already in university and usually lives on campus, so now the only child at home is Li Yan; Li Qiang dotes on this daughter to the point of being called a 'daughter slave,' and in an era that generally favored sons over daughters, he stands out as rather unconventional.

'All right, I'll go with you to buy some lumber—my son He Chen keeps begging me to make him a little bed,' He Yuzhu said with a laugh; He Chen is He Yuzhu's young son, eight years old. The little guy acts like a tiny adult, constantly begging He Yuzhu to make him a small bed.

'Fine, then let's go to the timber market together tomorrow.' In fact, Li Qiang wasn't buying lumber just to make a wardrobe for Li Yan; it was already late July, and he remembered that the Tangshan earthquake had happened around the early morning of July 28, with only a few days left, so he wanted to buy some lumber to put up an earthquake shelter, but he couldn't tell anyone about this—if word got out, he'd be charged with disturbing social order, and since the mass movement hadn't ended yet, a careless mistake could cause trouble that would drag his family into it.

'All right, then let's go early tomorrow morning while it's still cool,' Li Qiang said.

'All right.'

The next morning, Li Qiang pulled Li Bin and He Yuzhu along to the lumber seller's place.

'Qiangzi, why are you buying so much lumber? A wardrobe and desk wouldn't use that much,' Li Bin said, watching Li Qiang pick and choose, curious about why he'd bought so much.

'Brother, we don't come here often, so when we see good lumber we buy more,' Li Qiang said with a smile.

'You won't use it back home—it'll just take up space, and after a summer it'll all rot anyway,' Li Bin said.

'No problem, later we'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some rain‑proof canvas to cover it,' Li Qiang was worrying about finding an excuse to buy rain‑proof canvas when Li Bin gave him one.

'You're really wasteful—the old saying goes, "If you have money, don't leave it idle for half a year; buy when you need it." Why are you buying it just to leave it lying around?' Li Bin truly had no idea what Li Qiang was thinking.

'If we see something good, we just buy it and keep it—it doesn't cost much, we might not run into such good lumber again, and besides, having it on hand is convenient,' Li Qiang's excuse was really a bit far‑fetched.

'Whatever you want,' Li Bin said, understanding Li Qiang's personality—once he decides something, it's not easily changed, so he stopped trying to persuade him.

Before nine o'clock, the three brothers bought a big cartload of lumber, and Li Qiang hired two porters and three strongmen to pedal their bicycles back to the siheyuan.

'Qiangzi, why are you buying so much lumber?' Yan Butgui asked, looking curiously at the porters behind the three brothers.

'The kids want a desk and wardrobe, so I bought some lumber to have someone make a set later,' Li Qiang explained.

'You wouldn't need that much, eh? It's all fine rosewood and pine—Qiangzi, listen to me: for a wardrobe pine is enough, using rosewood would be a waste,' Yan Butgui said, feeling a bit sorry.

'All right, I'll listen to you, Teacher Yan,' Li Qiang said, smiling and agreeing.

'Would you like me to lend a hand?' Yan Butgui asked politely.

'No need, two masters plus us three brothers are enough,' Li Qiang refused without even thinking—if you want to help, just pitch in; asking whether they need help just makes people wonder what to say, and Yan Butgui's pompous nature hasn't changed a bit.