In the unfamiliar surroundings, Yun Yixuan frowned slightly as she tried to follow the original owner’s increasingly vague memories, making her way through the winding village paths.
Before long, she arrived at Old Wei’s house, the village carpenter who made furniture.
The wooden gate looked somewhat worn, its color faded and mottled by years of exposure to the elements.
Yun Yixuan raised her hand and gently knocked on the gate before calling out loudly, “Uncle Wei, are you home?”
“Who’s there?”
An elderly yet energetic male voice came from inside, carrying a hint of curiosity.
Yun Yixuan quickly raised her voice and replied, “Uncle Wei, it’s me, Educated Youth Yun. I came to buy some furniture.”
Her clear voice rang distinctly outside the quiet courtyard.
Creak—
The courtyard gate slowly opened, revealing a wrinkled yet kindly face.
Old Wei narrowed his eyes and smiled warmly.
“Oh, it’s Educated Youth Yun. Come in. What kind of furniture are you looking for? I don’t have much ready-made furniture here. If I don’t have what you need, I’ll have to make it from scratch, and you’ll have to wait several days.”
Walking into the courtyard, Yun Yixuan politely replied, “Uncle Wei, I’m just looking for a large table and two long benches.”
Hearing that, Old Wei immediately perked up.
“I have those! Come with me and take a look.”
With that, he walked ahead with slightly unsteady steps, leading Yun Yixuan toward a large, simple shed behind the house.
A faint scent of fresh wood filled the shed.
All kinds of newly made furniture were neatly arranged inside.
Yun Yixuan stepped inside with anticipation in her eyes and began carefully searching through the pieces. Her fingers lightly brushed across the furniture as she felt the natural grain of the wood.
Before long, her gaze settled on a particular table.
Its height and size were so suitable that it almost seemed as though it had been custom-made for her.
She immediately liked it.
At the far end of the shed, benches and stools of various sizes were neatly arranged in rows.
“Uncle Wei, I’ll take this table and those two long benches.”
Yun Yixuan pointed toward the pieces she had chosen.
“How much will that be?”
Old Wei narrowed his eyes and looked over the furniture before slowly answering, “The table is five yuan, and the two benches are two yuan. Seven yuan altogether.”
Yun Yixuan nodded slightly.
She quickly calculated the price in her mind and decided it was within her budget.
Reaching into her pocket, she took out seven yuan and carefully handed the money to him.
Old Wei accepted it, and his smile immediately grew wider, his eyes narrowing into thin lines.
He happily shouted toward the house, “Daniu! Come help Educated Youth Yun deliver her furniture!”
Not long after he called out, a young man entered the shed.
He was thin and wore an honest, simple smile on his face while pushing a somewhat old-fashioned handcart.
“Dad, I’ll deliver it right away.”
Wei Daniu smiled at Yun Yixuan before efficiently loading the table and benches onto the cart.
“Educated Youth Yun, should I deliver these to the educated youth compound?”
Wei Daniu still wore his simple, good-natured smile. His eyes were sincere as he looked at Yun Yixuan.
She quickly waved her hand and politely replied, “No. Please take them to the courtyard beside the brigade leader’s house. Sorry to trouble you, Brother Daniu.”
Wei Daniu scratched his head with his broad, rough hand, looking slightly embarrassed.
“You’re too polite, Educated Youth Yun. It’s no trouble at all.”
Along the way, Wei Daniu steadily pushed the handcart.
Its wheels rolled over the uneven dirt road with constant creaking sounds.
Yun Yixuan walked beside him, occasionally chatting and asking about interesting things that happened around the village.
Sunlight fell over them, outlining their figures in a warm glow.
Before long, the two arrived outside the courtyard.
Yun Yixuan had just raised her hand to push open the gate when it suddenly swung open from the inside.
Li Meiling stood proudly in the doorway, her chin slightly raised.
“Yixuan, you’re already done? I thought you’d take longer. I didn’t expect you to come back so quickly. I heard you returning from inside the courtyard.”
Her eyes sparkled brightly, like two crystal-clear pools of water.
“Oh my, could it be that my little sister Meiling missed me?”
The corners of Yun Yixuan’s lips curved upward as she teased Li Meiling, mischief filling her eyes.
Her words instantly made Li Meiling blush.
Her cheeks turned bright red, like ripe apples.
Li Meiling gave Yun Yixuan a playful shove and deliberately glared at her. Stomping her foot, she complained, “Stop teasing me! Hurry up and help move the table and benches.”
Seeing her reaction, Yun Yixuan couldn’t help laughing.
“You’re so easy to tease. Look at you, getting all shy.”
Wei Daniu didn’t hesitate.
He bent down, firmly gripped the table with both hands, and lifted it in one smooth motion, displaying his impressive strength.
Step by step, he steadily carried it into the house.
Yun Yixuan and Li Meiling each picked up a bench and followed him inside.
Wei Daniu carefully placed the table squarely in the living room before dusting off his hands. With his usual good-natured smile, he said goodbye to the two women.
After setting down her bench, Li Meiling enthusiastically said, “I’ll see Brother Daniu out.”
She then quickly followed him to the courtyard gate.
In this impoverished era of severe material shortages, life itself seemed covered by a dull gray filter. There really wasn’t much inside the house worth arranging or carefully organizing.
But Yun Yixuan was the type who acted the moment she made up her mind.
Since she had decided to settle into their new home, she immediately rolled up her sleeves and began organizing the few belongings they owned.
Li Meiling had just finished seeing Wei Daniu off and returned with light steps when she spotted Yun Yixuan already bustling around the house.
She couldn’t help shaking her head.
A fond smile appeared on her lips as she quietly muttered, “This girl really can’t wait for anything.”
Even so, Li Meiling didn’t stand around watching.
She quickly joined Yun Yixuan and began helping her tidy everything up.
The house wasn’t very large, and the two of them had very few possessions, so it didn’t take long before they finished.
Standing side by side in the middle of the room, they slowly looked around at the clean and neatly organized rooms.
A deep sense of satisfaction rose within them.
Both women smiled at the same time, their expressions appearing especially warm and genuine beneath the soft yellow light.
“Finally, we’re done.”
Yun Yixuan let out a long breath of relief and dropped heavily onto one of the benches.
Her entire body immediately relaxed.
“At last, we have a place that truly belongs to us. I can finally get a peaceful night’s sleep tonight.”
Li Meiling nodded in complete agreement.
Remembering their days at the educated youth compound, she sighed with emotion.
“Exactly. There were so many people sleeping in the same room at the educated youth compound. Every night, someone’s snoring would start, then another person’s would answer from the other side. It was impossible to sleep peacefully. It’s nothing like this place. It’s so quiet here.”
The moment Yun Yixuan thought about their future life, her eyes lit up with anticipation.
She suddenly jumped to her feet and enthusiastically waved her arms.
“Starting tomorrow, we’ll keep going up the mountain to gather medicinal herbs and make even more money! Our lives are definitely going to get better and better!”
The moment money was mentioned, Yun Yixuan became even more excited.
It was almost as though she could already see their bright future waving at them from just ahead.