On this morning in early April, Lin Chaoyang was outside the exit of Yanjing Station and looking into the station.
A few days ago, he wrote to his parents to inform him of Tao Yushu's pregnancy. After receiving the letter, the old couple hurriedly came to Yanjing.
This time, Lin Erchun couldn't care less about the land allocation. No matter how big the issue was, it was not as important as having a grandson.
After waiting for half an hour, Lin Chaoyang saw Lin Erchun and Zhang Guiqin walking out of the station like two moving shelves.
"Have you moved everyone here?" Lin Chaoyang stepped forward to help the two of them carry their things.
Lin Erchun was so tired that he was sweating now, but he still didn't forget to scold Lin Chaoyang, "Whenever you have nothing to do, you call me, but for such a big thing as Yushu's pregnancy, you write a letter? Can you sort out the priorities?"
"It's not like I'm about to give birth. It's only been more than a month since I was diagnosed." Lin Chaoyang said carelessly.
Zhang Guiqin asked with concern: "How is Yushu doing now?"
"It's okay, my appetite has been very good these past two days."
"Have you a good appetite? I'm afraid you're not a good person!" Zhang Guiqin said happily.
"Mom!" Lin Chaoyang shouted, "Just say this in front of me. Aren't both men and women members of the Lin family? We don't favor boys over girls!"
"I know, I know."
Lin Erchun snorted, "It's the same for boys and girls."
"My dad is right." Lin Chaoyang felt that Comrade Erchun's position as production captain was not in vain, and he was still a little aware.
"If it's a girl, let him have another one." Lin Erchun continued.
What a compliment!
"Dad, now the country promotes family planning, and every family is allowed to have one child."
"How about having two children?" Lin Erchun glanced at him sideways and asked knowingly.
"Two children will be fined, and you won't be able to keep your job."
"You are both a writer, it doesn't matter whether you have a job or not."
Lin Chaoyang didn't expect that Lin Erchun was more open-minded than him now, and he would give up the job if he said he didn't want it.
No, it should be said that his grandson's status in his heart is far more important than his son's work.
I don't know why, but Lin Chaoyang felt a little sad when he thought about it.
After picking up the old couple and returning to Mianmian Hutong, Zhang Guiqin began to take out the things she had brought back from her hometown.
This time they both brought more things than when they first went to Beijing, and most of them were for Tao Yushu.
Jujube, brown sugar, black sesame, malted milk...
At first, the things the two of them took out were normal. Lin Chaoyang complained: "It's not like Yanjing doesn't have these things. It's not too tiring for you to carry these all the way."
When Lin Erchun took out a wooden box from his bag, something was wrong.
"Dad, what is this?"
Lin Erchun opened the wooden box and revealed the red cloth inside. He gently opened the red cloth and saw a ginseng with all the beards and tail lying inside.
His face was full of surprise, "Where did this ginseng come from?"
"Don't worry about where it comes from. This is wild ginseng that has been grown for more than 20 years. It's a good thing!"
With a proud look on his face, Lin Erchun put the ginseng away and dug into his bag again. What he found this time was not what Lin Chaoyang expected, because Lin Erchun had already predicted it to him when he left last time - deer antler.
Lin Erchun dug again and took out a mink fur cloak.
Lin Chaoyang's expression finally couldn't be maintained anymore, "Dad, all the money in the family has been wiped out?"
Ginseng, deer antlers, and mink fur cloaks are all specialties of the Northeast, but none of them are cheap!
Before liberation, even the wealthy landlords could not afford to enjoy it easily.
"What's the fuss about?" Lin Erchun glared at him impatiently and explained to him again.
"I dug this ginseng when you were a child. It has been stored for more than ten years. It is finally useful this time.
I bought the deer antlers as a favor and I didn't have much money.
This mink is expensive, more than two hundred..."
Speaking of this, Lin Erchun's face flashed with a look of heartache.
"You are so willing to give up!"
Lin Chaoyang knew his father's character, so spending more than two hundred yuan to buy a mink was equivalent to killing half of his life.
But this cloak is really good, with an otter collar and sable fur. Although the style is a bit rustic, it makes people feel elegant and luxurious at first glance, and they know it is a good thing.
As he spoke, he was about to take the mink fur cloak and try it on, but Lin Erchun knocked his outstretched hand away.
"It's so beautiful! This is for Yushu! Guess the date, she has to give birth in winter. Cotton jackets and trousers are too cumbersome to wear. This mink is light and warm, so it's just right for her use."
Lin Chaoyang felt helpless. With Tao Yushu's pregnancy, his status in the family was really in jeopardy.
"That ginseng is a great tonic. Even if you bring it, you can't give it to Yushu to eat casually."
"What do you mean? It's just a spare."
Lin Chaoyang smacked his lips and said, "The deer antler should be for me, right?"
"I'm pregnant, what kind of deer antlers are you eating?"
Okay, okay, with this basket full of things, there is nothing for him, right?
In order to pick up Lin Erchun and his wife, Lin Chaoyang asked for leave today. There were still two o'clock in the afternoon before getting off work, so the old couple urged him to pick up Tao Yushu.
By the time he took Tao Yushu back to Mianmian Hutong, the old couple had prepared a sumptuous table of dishes.
"Come on, come on, Yu Shu is about to eat."
"Yushu, try this mushroom."
"Roe deer meat is delicious, Yushu, please eat more. Chaoyang said you have a big appetite now."
"You are just pregnant and need nutrition. You should eat more good food. Mom will cook for you in the future."
…
The food in Tao Yushu's bowl was already high, and Zhang Guiqin kept picking up the food for her. She was not eating the food as fast as Zhang Guiqin was picking up the food.
"Mom, I really can't eat anymore."
At the end of the meal, Tao Yushu burped and said.
"You are two people now, so you need to eat more."
Lin Chaoyang said: "Mom, I really can't eat anymore. You gave her so many vegetables, and she ate more than me."
Zhang Guiqin then stopped picking up food for Tao Yushu and said, "You must be hungry tonight, I'll cook it for you tonight."
Tao Yushu suddenly felt a heavy pressure.
Zhang Guiqin sighed again: "It's a good time for you now. When I was pregnant with Chaoyang, I couldn't eat anything I wanted, and eggs were rare things..."
She rambled through the history books, and finally concluded: Tao Yushu still needs to eat more.
After returning to the room, Tao Yushu's face was full of distress, "I'm exhausted!"
Lin Chaoyang joked: "Didn't you always shout that you were hungry two days ago? It's better this time!"
In the days after she first found out she was pregnant, Tao Yushu would always complain about being hungry in the afternoon and evening, whether it was due to psychological effects or because the little life in her belly had taken in too many nutrients.
Lin Chaoyang brought her some biscuits to the work so that she could lay them down in the afternoon. Before going to bed at night, he had to make Tao Yushu a midnight snack.
"Oh! What a sweet burden." Tao Yushu sighed, and asked Lin Chaoyang worriedly: "Hey, you said I won't become a big fat man, right?"
"You have such a slender figure, you would still look good even if you gained thirty pounds. Besides, no matter how fat you are, in my heart you are just like a fairy girl."
Listening to Lin Chaoyang's sweet words, Tao Yushu couldn't help but feel happy, "I know how to say nice things."
"This is all true."
The next day was the weekend and they didn't have to go to work. The couple got up a little late. By the time they got up, Zhang Guiqin had already prepared breakfast.
After dinner, seeing the two of them going out, Zhang Guiqin asked, "Why are you going?"
"Look at the house."
"Looking at a house?"
Zhang Guiqin looked suspicious, and Lin Chaoyang said: "I will explain to you when I get back."
After saying that, the couple left.
The bicycle went all the way south and when it crossed Chang'an Street, Lin Chaoyang stopped the bicycle and pointed at the gate of the Cultural Affairs Bureau compound opposite.
"Look, how close is it to your unit?"
"We've just arrived at the intersection. How far do we have to go to get in?" Tao Yushu asked.
"It's not far, only three or four hundred meters. You will definitely like it after seeing the yard."
Lin Chaoyang rode his bicycle and carried Tao Yushu into Daliubukou Street. After walking a short distance, he turned into a small alley.
The entrance to the courtyard opens to the southeast. There is a screen wall at the entrance, and there is a reverse-seating room in the courtyard. Then you enter the hanging flower door, which is the second courtyard. The courtyard is spacious and paved with stone slabs. The most conspicuous thing in the courtyard is the two thick French plane trees.
Tree.
"This yard..." Tao Yushu looked at the plants and trees in the yard, with a sense of novelty in his tone.
"Isn't it different? This is the courtyard from the Republic of China. The second courtyard has a bit of French style, and the front and rear are all formal quadrangle courtyards. The east and west courtyards were also used by a large family at that time."
Tao Yushu went to the east courtyard and took a look, and couldn't help frowning. Compared with the west courtyard, there was indeed a big difference.
When the couple were looking at the yard, Mrs. Cheng stood under the eaves of the main house with a smile and looked at them.
That day, Lin Chaoyang asked her to discuss it with her son and grandson. She went to the Telegraph Building to call her son, and her son agreed to Lin Chaoyang's offer.
The price has been negotiated, and Mrs. Cheng and Lin Chaoyang discussed going to the housing management office to go through the procedures on Monday.
Catching up with today's weekend, Lin Chaoyang brought Tao Yushu over to take a look.
"Xiao Lin is really lucky to have such a beautiful daughter-in-law. I heard she is pregnant?"
Lin Chaoyang and his wife looked around the yard and walked to the main room. Mrs. Cheng asked with a smile.
"Yeah, it's only been more than a month."
"Okay, our house will protect our children and grandchildren. We have three sisters-in-law and have given birth to eight children. All of them are safe and sound."
"I'd like to lend you your kind words!" Lin Chaoyang responded with a smile.
After chatting with Mrs. Cheng for a while and finishing looking at the yard, Lin Chaoyang left with Tao Yushu.
"Does it feel good?" Lin Chaoyang asked Tao Yushu after coming out.
"That's great. How big is this yard?"
"The old lady said it was close to two thousand square meters. I measured it with my feet that day and it should be about the same."
Tao Yushu couldn't help but be speechless when she heard this. When she was shopping just now, she thought it was a bit big, but she didn't expect it to be nearly two thousand square meters.
"Isn't it too big? How can we live in such a big house?"
"According to what you said, all courtyards should be turned into large courtyards, with only a few people in a family. It can't be calculated that way. There's nothing wrong with living in a more spacious place. Don't you like this courtyard too?"
Tao Yushu nodded, "I quite like it. When I was a child in Shuimu Garden, their south courtyard felt very similar to this courtyard, with a Western-style red-roofed bungalow and a Chinese-style three-sided courtyard, with Chinese and Western styles next to each other."
Lin Chaoyang joked: "Then this yard can be regarded as fulfilling your childhood dream."
Tao Yushu's smile contained some aftertaste of the past, and he added: "The only flaw is the east courtyard, which is a bit dilapidated."
"It's good to break it down. This is what I'm thinking about. We can simply tidy up the west courtyard and move in, and then slowly tidy up the east courtyard.
Although this courtyard is good, the hardware facilities are still far inferior to those of overseas Chinese apartments.
Let’s spend more money to clean it up so that we can live comfortably in the future.”
Tao Yushu said with some distress: "It only cost 15,000 yuan to buy it. If we continue to demolish and build it, 20,000 yuan will not be able to afford it, right?"
“Isn’t the purpose of making money to spend it and live a better life?”
Chapter completed!