A house was more important than Stewed Pork Ribs in Soy Sauce.
Since they had agreed to go look at houses, Lin Xiangxiu temporarily put off cooking until evening. After washing her face, she immediately took Lin Xiao to see the properties.
Hong Jie had indeed put great effort into her search. The locations of both houses were quite good, each only about a kilometer away from the Public Security Bureau Family Compound, making the commute to work very convenient. The main difference lay in the houses themselves.
The first house was in the Gear Factory Family Compound, located in a Corridor-style Apartment Building.
Hong Jie pushed open the door, blew away the dust, and then introduced, “This place is small and doesn’t have a private bathroom, but it comes fully furnished. You could move in with just your luggage.”
“More importantly, I know the landlord. The asking price is thirty yuan per month, and I can negotiate it down to around twenty-five for you.” Hong Jie dusted off her hands. “This price isn’t expensive, especially since it’s close to the city center. There’s a bus stop and a market nearby, making daily life very convenient. If it were any closer to the city center, the cheapest would be at least fifty.”
Lin Xiangxiu walked around the room with Lin Xiao a couple of times, but before she could say whether she liked it or not, someone was already peeking in through the doorway.
“Oh, is this place for rent?” An elderly aunt walked into the house without greeting anyone, looking around with a displeased expression.
She let out a sarcastic laugh. “Just the other day, I was telling Xiao Zhou that I wanted to rent this place. Who would have thought that among neighbors, they’d rather rent to an outsider than to me?”
Hong Jie frowned. “Auntie, did anyone invite you in? You just walked in on your own?”
“We’re all from the same Family Compound, and I’m even colleagues with the owner, Xiao Zhou. What’s wrong with coming in? Can’t I take a look?” The aunt raised her thin eyebrows, her voice suddenly turning shrill.
Perhaps because her voice was too loud, several neighboring doors immediately opened. A few people came out to look over, and some even spoke up in support of the aunt, presenting a united front against outsiders.
Lin Xiao took Lin Xiangxiu’s hand, furrowed her brows, and subtly moved closer to her mother.
Lin Xiangxiu immediately understood that her child was scared but still wanted to protect her.
She took Hong Jie’s hand and left.
“Sis, let’s go. I don’t want to rent this place.”
It wasn’t until they were outside the Family Compound that Lin Xiangxiu let out a long sigh. Hong Jie still felt regretful and said, “This house was in good condition, and the price was reasonable.”
“The house itself is fine, but the environment isn’t suitable.” Lin Xiangxiu shook her head. “This is a Family Compound, and all the neighbors have known each other for decades. If I ever have a conflict with someone, no one would take my side. Besides, they’re too familiar with each other—who just barges into someone’s house like that?”
Hong Jie thought about it and agreed. “Let me take you to see the other house.”
The second house was more to Lin Xiangxiu’s liking. This one wasn’t in a Family Compound but was a self-built building in an Urban Village. The area was mostly populated by migrant workers renting places, all of whom were focused on making a living, coming and going early and late. Although they saw each other frequently, no one bothered to interact.
Hong Jie showed them a two-story small building.
Though called a small building, it was actually a single-story house with a small attic built on top. The unit for rent was this attic.
There were only two rooms—a kitchen and a bedroom. The advantage was that the staircase was built outside, so coming and going wouldn’t be under the watchful eyes of the main household.
It was midday when they came to see the house, and surprisingly, no one was home at the landlord’s place. Lin Xiangxiu looked around carefully.
Hong Jie laughed when she saw her expression. “Don’t worry, the landlord’s whole family has gone abroad. This is their old family home. The locked bungalow contains their furniture. They have an emotional attachment to this old house and didn’t want to rent it out carelessly to someone who might ruin it. I brought you here because I saw that you and your daughter are clean and tidy.”
“What about the toilet?”
Hong Jie: “The toilet is in the small room under the bungalow. It’s inconvenient to use at night, so you’ll need a chamber pot. Just rinse it out in the morning. There are people nearby who specialize in waste removal. If you pay them a bit extra, they can clean the toilet for you so it’s usable.”
Lin Xiangxiu inspected the entire house again, this time more thoroughly. Things like water pipes and electrical wiring were the most important, and she also checked the wall plaster again. She had heard that in the south, there was something called Returning South Day, which was very humid and could cause wall plaster to peel.
Fortunately, the quality of this house was good, and there were no such issues.
Lin Xiangxiu crouched down and asked Lin Xiao, “Xiao Xiao, do you like this house?” She liked it very much herself. If Lin Xiao liked it too, they would decide on this place.
After running around all morning, Lin Xiao’s little face was flushed. She wandered around the house and then pointed to the large platform outside. “Mom, if we want to enjoy the cool air in the evening, can we sleep out here? Like we did back in our hometown, with me lying beside you, watching the stars together.”
Lin Xiangxiu was taken aback.
On summer nights in their hometown, every household would spread out mats at their doorsteps to enjoy the cool air. They would burn wormwood to keep mosquitoes away, and adults and children would lie together, chatting idly while gazing at the star-filled sky.
Other families would be laughing and talking, but theirs was different. Her adoptive mother would occasionally throw a sarcastic remark her way or complain about one thing or another. In the end, either she would take Lin Xiao back inside to sleep, or they would end up arguing.
Lin Xiangxiu had never liked these evening cool-downs. She hadn’t expected Lin Xiao to hold onto this memory.
Thinking about it now, wouldn’t it be lovely to enjoy the cool air with just her daughter?
Lin Xiangxiu had one more concern. “Hong Jie, is this area safe? Are there any shady characters around?”
Hong Jie laughed heartily. “There are more migrants these past couple of years, but there’s a Police Station at the village entrance. The village is very peaceful, so you can rest assured.”
“Then let’s settle on this place,” Lin Xiangxiu said with a smile.
The house was managed by the landlord’s relative, who also collected the rent. Since there was no contract, Lin Xiangxiu went to the Police Station to get a certificate and also familiarized herself with the route there.
The rent was thirty yuan a month. The house only had a bed and a small wardrobe, but the space was relatively large, and Lin Xiangxiu was already quite satisfied.
After renting the house, she moved out of the inn that very afternoon. Once she had stored all their clothes in the wardrobe, her first task was to call a locksmith to change the locks, keeping all the keys in her possession.
That afternoon, after renting the house, Lin Xiangxiu was like a little ant moving its nest, making trip after trip between the wholesale market and their new home.
The location of this house was quite convenient. Just two hundred meters from the village entrance stood a bus stop with services every twenty minutes, which she could ride back and forth freely.
She bought two pieces of light blue patterned thin fabric and took them to a tailor shop to be cut into curtains. After hanging them on the windows at home, the gentle breeze made the light blue flowers appear to dance.
The bedding on the bed was also cotton quilts Lin Xiangxiu had purchased—two in total. One was spread over the bed board, while the other was folded and placed on the bed, waiting for the pure cotton coarse cloth duvet covers she had bought to dry in the sun before she could put them on.
The house had a kitchen, but aside from a large countertop, it was empty. Lin Xiangxiu equipped herself with pots, pans, bowls, and utensils, bought a large Mei Luzi, and specially ordered a hundred jin of coal briquettes. Only after purchasing them did she regret it: without a bicycle, how was she supposed to move a hundred jin of coal briquettes by herself?
Accustomed to farm work in the countryside, she could manage to move them in batches, but the coal briquettes kept shedding coal dust, leaving her clothes dirty and black, which would be troublesome to clean up later.
As Lin Xiangxiu was thinking this, the uncle selling coal briquettes said with a chuckle, “Leave your home address, and I’ll deliver them after finishing the previous deliveries.”
“You deliver to the doorstep?” Lin Xiangxiu was astonished.
The uncle was even more surprised, “If I don’t deliver, are you planning to carry them home yourself?”
“I have a tricycle. Once I’ve gathered enough orders in one direction, I deliver them all at once,” he explained further. “Although my coal briquettes are a bit more expensive than others’, I guarantee delivery right to your doorstep. You can rest assured!”
Such a great service! Lin Xiangxiu found another reason to like Shencheng.
After most of the household items were in place, Lin Xiangxiu stopped going out. In this sweltering heat, she didn’t want to take the child outside often, as Lin Xiao had even started panting like a little dog from the heat.
After all these purchases and paying six months’ rent, half of the one thousand yuan had been spent, but Lin Xiangxiu felt no panic.
She wiped and washed the newly bought items as needed, arranging everything neatly. Once she finished, she turned to see Lin Xiao holding a broom taller than herself, sweeping the floor half-heartedly.
This child was quite the mimic. Before sweeping, she had imitated Lin Xiangxiu by sprinkling water on the floor, and now she had turned into a muddy mess, thoroughly enjoying herself.
Lin Xiangxiu walked over, wiped the mud off the tip of her nose, and said, “After the sun sets and it’s not so hot, we’ll go to the market to buy some big bones. I’ll make Stewed Pork Ribs in Soy Sauce for you tonight.”
Lin Xiao’s puppy-dog eyes instantly lit up!
…
True to her word, as soon as the sun dipped below the horizon, Lin Xiangxiu took Lin Xiao to the nearest market.
The market in Shencheng was open morning, noon, and night, though the vegetables in the evening were less fresh, somewhat wilted, but the meat was still good.
Lin Xiangxiu visited two butcher shops and bought a full five jin of large bones, including both Back Ribs and Bone-in Pork Shank. The Back Ribs were cheaper, and locals preferred the Bone-in Pork Shank for making soup, but Lin Xiangxiu bought both kinds, liking the different textures each offered.
Given the hot weather, the bones wouldn’t keep long, so she decided to cook all five jin at once.
Her small pot couldn’t hold them all, so she divided them into two batches. The small pot sat on the Mei Luzi, simmering and releasing a tantalizing aroma that kept Lin Xiao crouched by the pot, drooling.
“Mom’s Stewed Pork Ribs in Soy Sauce are the most delicious.” Lin Xiao wiped her mouth where no drool had actually formed, her eyes filled with anticipation and longing.
Lin Xiangxiu was still tidying up the house and couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. “Aren’t you hot squatting there? These ribs need to stew for a long time yet.”
“It’s hot, but it smells so good. Just smelling it for a while makes me feel full.” Lin Xiao took two deep breaths of the aroma, so overcome with craving that she kept rubbing her cheeks with her small hands. The child was practically bouncing with restless desire.
Though the ribs weren’t ready yet, the house was already filled with their fragrance. Seeing Lin Xiao so consumed by craving, Lin Xiangxiu had no choice but to put down her work and take her hand. “How about mom takes you for a walk around the neighborhood? Let’s go see the childcare class.”
“Childcare class? Is that a place to play games?” Lin Xiao’s attention was immediately captured.
Lin Xiangxiu said with a smile, “Yes, when mom goes to work, Xiao Xiao can play games there, okay? Mom will pick you up after work. There are lots and lots of children to play with there. Didn’t you always love playing with other children when we were in the village?”
Hearing this, Lin Xiao’s expression suddenly froze.
Busy changing shoes to go out, Lin Xiangxiu didn’t notice the change in her daughter’s expression. She just crouched down to put on her sandals and asked Lin Xiao, “Which pair do you want to wear?”
“The pink-purple ones, they’re the prettiest.” Lin Xiao snapped out of it, pursing her lips before speaking.
Looking at her daughter’s small feet in those pink-purple plastic sandals, Lin Xiangxiu’s expression became complicated.