Chapter 572: Arrival
Chapter 572: Arrival
Jiang Xia and her group returned to the courtyard house from the airport around three in the afternoon.
Zhang Fuyan had driven a jeep to pick them up.
Their bicycle kept getting stolen, so Jiang Dong had bought a jeep in the Capital City, which he also gifted to Zhang Fuyan for her birthday.
Jiang Xia surveyed the courtyard.
Zhang Fuyan and Jiang Dong had already cleaned it thoroughly and opened the windows for ventilation.
The courtyard had been renovated when they bought it, so both the inside and outside looked quite new.
Of course, it was only a simple renovation, so the entire courtyard still had a simple and rustic feel.
There was a ginkgo tree in the courtyard. By late October, the ginkgo leaves would turn yellow, making it a beautiful sight.
Second Aunt: "This courtyard is so comfortable!"
Grandpa: "This house is great!"
The three children had already woken up and didn’t cry or fuss at all in the courtyard, which made Grandpa feel that the house was indeed good.
Jiang Xia also felt the same. How good was it? She had never dared to dream of owning such a courtyard in this part of the Capital City in her previous life.
Grandma: "This courtyard is quite large, we can plant some vegetables and flowers."
Grandma started planning how to make the most of the space for planting vegetables.
Grandpa: "It’s not just quite large; in the Capital City, this is already a large courtyard. You can’t compare it to the courtyards in our village. Don’t even think about planting vegetables; this courtyard should be left for the children to play in!"
Planting vegetables in the courtyard wouldn’t yield enough to eat, and they would still have to buy them, so what was the point?
Jiang Xia smiled and said, "It’s fine, they’re still too young to play much. Grandma, plant whatever you like. You all must be tired from the long flight. Grandpa, Grandma, Second Aunt, Cousin Qiufeng, why don’t you pick a room and rest for a bit?"
Zhang Fuyan smiled and added, "Yes, rest first. Those three rooms are for guests. I cleaned the beds and furniture yesterday, and Jiang Dong bought new bedding, which we’ve already washed. You can rest right away."
Jiang Dong, holding the elder brother, said, "I had someone make a crib for you. Go try it out and see if it’s comfortable."
The crib was placed in the living room.
It had wheels, so it could be moved back to the bedroom at night and out to the living room during the day.
There was a threshold to the rooms, but it was easy to lift the crib over.
The furniture in the living room was all new and made of solid wood.
They put the three children in the crib to play for a while, and Zhao Chenglei and Jiang Xia returned to their room to unpack their luggage.
The bed, vanity, and wardrobe in the room were all new.
Jiang Dong had prepared everything for them.
Jiang Xia said to Zhao Chenglei, "When you have a chance, give the money back to Xiao Dong."
"Alright."
Jiang Xia opened the wardrobe and started putting the clothes they brought into it.
There were already quite a few clothes in the wardrobe, mostly the ones Jiang Xia had asked Jiang Dong to bring over earlier.
There were also a few new sets, which he and Zhang Fuyan must have bought together.
There were many sets of children’s clothes as well, all clean and ready to wear.
The couple worked together to put the clothes from the suitcases into the wardrobe.
After everything was settled, they fed the three children, and it was already past five o’clock. They then went out to a nearby restaurant for dinner.
After dinner, Jiang Dong drove Zhang Fuyan back home.
The courtyard house Jiang Dong bought was right next door and had also been renovated, but he never lived there, preferring to stay in the dormitory.
Living alone in such a large and quiet courtyard was too much for him.
Jiang Xia told him to live with her, since there were still three or four spare rooms.
Jiang Dong: "No need, I’ll just stay next door. Sister, if you need anything, just call me."
Their father had also instructed him to help his sister with the children whenever he had free time, especially when her husband wasn’t around.
Young children often got fevers in the middle of the night, and their father worried that his sister and the other women would be scared to take the children to the hospital at such times.
Jiang Dong planned to move back into the courtyard house in the future.
When his brother-in-law was away, he would stay in the guest room here. When his brother-in-law was around, he would stay next door to avoid causing trouble for his sister.
After a long day of travel, they returned home, and Jiang Xia, Zhao Cheng Lei, and Second Aunt bathed the three children and put them to bed early.
The next day, Zhao Cheng Lei and Jiang Dong took Second Aunt and Grandpa out to familiarize them with the neighborhood, showing them where the market was.
When they returned, Zhao Cheng Lei and Jiang Dong each pushed a new women's bicycle back home.
One was for Jiang Xia to ride to school, and the other was for Second Aunt to use for daily errands.
Jiang Dong reminded Jiang Xia, "Sis, don't forget to lock your bicycle when you park it by the roadside. Otherwise, it could easily be stolen! I've already lost three bicycles in the Capital City."
Second Aunt's heart ached at this. "Really? Then I'll just walk to the market! I don't need to ride a bicycle. You can see if anyone wants it and sell it!"
She was afraid it would be stolen if she rode it out.
Jiang Xia smiled, "Second Aunt, don't worry. My brother always forgets to lock the bicycle, which is why it gets stolen. When you go out to buy groceries, you'll be pushing the bicycle, who would steal it then?"
Jiang Dong nodded, "The market is a bit far. It's inconvenient without a bicycle. If we buy it and then resell it, we'll lose money!"
Second Aunt didn't say anything more but made a mental note to take good care of the bicycle.
In the afternoon, Zhao Cheng Lei and Jiang Dong went out again and bought a television and a refrigerator.
He planned to bring some seafood for Jiang Xia to eat, so the refrigerator was a must-have.
As for the television, Zhao Cheng Lei bought it for Grandpa and Grandma to pass the time.
While Zhao Cheng Lei and Jiang Dong were setting up the antenna, Jiang Xia held the children and watched to see if the TV showed any picture.
Grandpa, who had never had a TV at home, watched them work and asked, "Does this TV cost two hundred yuan?"
Zhao Cheng Lei replied, "No, it's not that expensive."
Grandma said, "You're just trying to fool us! Why did you buy it? We don't like watching TV."
Jiang Xia smiled, "I do! Grandma, you can watch it with me!"
Grandma laughed, "Alright!"
However, she had heard from Grandpa that Jiang Xia and Zhao Cheng Lei only watched the news and weather forecast during meals and rarely watched TV otherwise. Jiang Xia usually used her free time to translate and earn money.
The couple worked hard to earn money.
The TV was actually bought for Grandpa and Grandma to enjoy.
The climate in the Capital City was colder and set in earlier than back home.
The next day, Jiang Xia and Zhao Cheng Lei, holding the children, took Grandpa, Grandma, and Second Aunt and her daughter out to buy some warm clothes.
When they reached the department store, Grandpa and Grandma were reluctant to go inside.
Grandpa said, "I brought enough clothes! We don't need to buy any!"
Jiang Xia replied, "Grandpa, the weather in the Capital City is very cold, and it will snow heavily in winter. The clothes you brought might be warm enough back home, but they won't be enough here."
Grandma added, "The clothes inside are too expensive! We don't want to buy them here. We can buy some cotton and fabric and make our own clothes. Winter hasn't set in yet, so we have time."
Second Aunt also chimed in, "Yes, let's buy some cotton and make our own clothes! I know how to do it."
They stood at the entrance, unwilling to go in, blocking the way. Someone couldn't help but say, "If you're not going in, could you please step aside?"
(End of Chapter)
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