Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 932 931 Jingying: Brother-in-law, you're so naughty

"Let's buy a mattress after we move here. With a mattress to cushion the noise, the bed won't creak so easily." When they first got married, the couple had all sorts of reasons for not buying a mattress, but frankly, it was because they didn't have much money at the time.

Ever since the Cultural and Educational Elite Gathering stayed at the Sijiucheng Hotel for a few days, Tang Zhitong has come to love the feeling of sleeping on a mattress. Although its elasticity cannot compare to a Simmons mattress, it is more comfortable than a hard board bed.

“No, we won’t buy it. If we only buy one and it’s just the two of us sleeping together, what will people think? There are many people in our family, so if we’re going to buy one, we should buy one for everyone, but this is too expensive.” Xiao Wang shook her head, rejecting her husband’s suggestion again, though not as firmly as last time.

"Then let's save up some money first." Tang Zhitong really wanted to tell Xiao Wang that there were several boxes of gold and silver bricks hidden in the cellar, but when she thought about Xiao Wang's awareness and the banner that might be returned in return, she gave up the idea.

"I'll ask around and see if there's any way to make our own mattresses. Making our own mattresses is cheaper, so that should work, right?" Since one plan failed, Tang Zhitong came up with another.

"Sigh, why do you keep thinking about sleeping on a mattress? Making a mattress is such a hassle," Xiao Wang said with a sigh, not understanding her husband's insistence.

"The bed board is too hard. It doesn't bother me if I kneel for a long time, but it hurts me to see your knees turn red." Tang Zhitong looked down at Xiao Wang's legs. Ever since she found out that Xiao Wang was pregnant, she had stopped kneeling, but Xiao Wang's knees still suffered a lot.

"You... you can't even say three sentences without getting serious." Xiao Wang understood immediately, but this time she wasn't angry. Instead, she felt a sweet warmth in her heart, after all, her husband wanted the mattress for her sake.

"Then it's decided, okay?" Tang Zhitong reached out her right hand and gently lifted Xiao Wang's chin with her index finger. Their eyes met, and their gazes locked, drawing them closer and closer...

"Brother-in-law! I want..." Before their lips even touched, Jingmin burst in shouting. Seeing his older sister and brother-in-law together, he asked with some confusion, "What are you two doing?"

Caught in the act by his younger siblings, Xiao Wang blushed and turned away. Tang Zhitong withdrew his hand and, without batting an eye, fooled his brother-in-law, saying, "Your sister got something in her eye, I'm blowing on it for her. What do you want?"

Jingying, who followed closely behind, was not so easily fooled. She didn't believe her brother-in-law's words at all, and her face was even redder than Xiao Wang's, the person involved.

"Oh, I want a desk! My sister won't let me use the desk at home, I want my own desk!" Jingmin believed his brother-in-law and immediately made his request. His brother-in-law had already promised to arrange a bed for him, and now all that was missing was a desk.

"Okay, I'll buy you a set!" Tang Zhitong immediately agreed. In his plan, all the extra beds in the house would be placed in the west wing, and then divided into three rooms with a screen. The two sisters, Fengzhen and Fengzhi, would live there normally, and Jingying and Jingmin would also stay there during holidays.

Four students need at least two desks. The two younger sisters will use them on weekdays, and the rest of the students will take turns using them during holidays.

When Jingmin saw that his brother-in-law had agreed, he jumped for joy.

Tang Zhitong glanced at Xiao Wang, who was too busy being nervous and shy to object to buying the desk.

Based on Tang Zhitong's understanding of Xiao Wang, even though the desk was expensive, she probably wouldn't object even if the siblings hadn't caught them being intimate, because it was a necessity for studying.

It was the hottest time of day, and having achieved his goal, Jingmin felt a little like going back.

"Let's go cool off under the gate for a while. I'll go boil some water. We'll leave later." Tang Zhitong was unwilling to leave just like that.

The white paint on the wall was just painted today. It's fine for the outside, it'll dry in two or three days with the sun, but it's not the same for the indoors, so I have to use some external force to speed it up.

Using fire to heat it up was a last resort; the cheat wasn't a panacea. Tang Zhitong tried to use the cheat to drain the moisture from the wall, but after draining the moisture, the calcium hydroxide inside the plaster became less sticky. Not only did it fall off easily with a rub, but it also had difficulty reacting with carbon dioxide to form calcium carbonate.

Therefore, only a few fires can be lit to provide carbon dioxide and heat, accelerating the hardening of the wall surface.

Tang Zhitong still had the iron pot he brought last time, and he planned to boil some water with it.

There were still some firewood in the yard, but looking at the clean ground, Tang Zhitong felt that she had plucked too cleanly that morning.

If a fire were to be lit, wouldn't it leave black and yellow marks on the floor tiles?

The simplest way would be to pluck some city wall bricks from the space to use as scaffolding, but... Tang Zhitong glanced at the little follower beside him and gave up on that idea.

You could actually dig some soil from the yard and spread it on the paving stones, but the soil would contain not only silt but also human excrement...

Alright, that's fine. The burnt color won't affect its use. We can always use an external program to "purify" it later.

Tang Zhitong lit a small pile of firewood in each room to speed up the solidification of the quicklime. At the same time, he scrubbed the pot, filled it with half a pot of water, and squatted down to slowly heat it.

Jingmin squatted down next to Tang Zhitong, watching him work with great interest.

"Let's go, it's hot inside. Let's go find your sister under the main gate." After lighting the last fire, Tang Zhitong clapped his hands, looked at his masterpiece with satisfaction, and planned to experience the draft.

"Brother-in-law, there's no one watching the fire inside, I have to stay here and watch it." Jingmin was sweating, but he didn't want to leave. What was more interesting than tending to the fire under the door?
"You'll feel more at ease if you don't watch over me." Tang Zhitong wasn't about to do as her brother-in-law wished. Seven or eight-year-old children are at a mischievous age, and leaving him alone here would be more dangerous than leaving a fire burning. Without further ado, she grabbed him and pulled him outside.

Jingmin looked reluctant, but he couldn't fight city hall, so he could only dawdle and walk out.

"How is it? It's cool under the gate, isn't it?" When Tang Zhitong dragged Jingmin to the gate, the two sisters were sitting on the threshold. When they saw Tang Zhitong and Jingmin coming over, they squeezed to the side to make room for them to sit down.

Without air conditioning, the cross breeze is the best way to cool off in the summer. However, many elderly people say that the cross breeze is too harsh and usually don't let the children stay there for long. But the children love it and often sleep or play cards under the front door.

"Yeah, it's about the same as ours." Xiao Wang was now as usual, no longer shy as before, while Jing Ying was still a little embarrassed, secretly glancing at Tang Zhitong.

"Then let's sit here, make a fire and roast for a while, then we'll go back. Jingmin, you go sit here." Tang Zhitong pretended not to see the look in her teenage sister-in-law's eyes, and pushed Jingmin with her hand. The space at the threshold was limited, so she didn't go over to join in the fun. Sitting on the blue brick floor was fine.

Xiao Wang noticed Jingying's expression and began to inquire about his sister's activities at school in an attempt to distract her.

Jingmin listened to his two older sisters chatting without getting involved with Tang Zhitong, who took the opportunity to drift off into her own thoughts, pondering how to make a mattress.

Before "Workers Should Think for the Country," this actor was quite popular and was a golden duo with Aunt Song.

"Swimming in the sea and sunbathing; eating crabs and living in an apartment building; after sleeping on a sofa bed for two days, I wanted to put springs on the heated kang bed when I got home."

A witty line from a skit perfectly reflects the people's yearning for a better life.

Although there are temporary difficulties in food supply, the efforts to improve people's living conditions have never stopped. Since the "sofa bed" in the skit has springs, it must be based on a Simmons mattress.

Simmons is a foreign brand named after its founder. It entered Shanghai after 1930 and quickly became popular in the surrounding area due to its comfort. However, it later withdrew from the domestic market due to the war.

Due to its price, it only had a market among some high-end users after liberation, and later disappeared because it was criticized for being "indulgent for enjoyment" and having capitalist characteristics.

While Simmons mattresses are no longer available, domestic manufacturers offer palm fiber mattresses. However, due to the manufacturing process of palm fiber mattresses, production has remained low. Currently, some people are suggesting using foam mattresses to meet the growing mattress demand of the public.

While foam mattresses can indeed be mass-produced, they suffer from defects in breathability and elasticity, resulting in poor comfort. Furthermore, over time, foam mattresses can become damp and even harmful to the human body, leading to their withdrawal from the market within a few years.

It wasn't until memory foam was successfully developed for aerospace needs that artificial sponges gradually entered the daily lives of the general public.

Currently, Tang Zhitong can't rely on memory foam mattresses, let alone latex mattresses; the only option left is a palm fiber mattress.

Although Tang Zhitong just told Xiao Wang that he makes mattresses, making palm fiber mattresses is very troublesome. A skilled worker can only make two mattresses a month if he is considered highly productive.

Excluding the earthen kang (heated brick bed), there are a total of four beds in the house. Tang Zhitong felt that if he were to build them all by himself, it would be quite good if he could do so within six months.

It's more cost-effective to buy it, as for the money...

Tang Zhitong looked towards Beihai and Shichahai, planning to go to the lakeside to have some fun after moving here, and let those fishermen see what a legend in the fishing world is all about!

While lost in thought, Tang Zhitong kept an eye on the pot in the room. As soon as the water boiled, he got up.

When Jingmin saw his brother-in-law making a move, he jumped up, but instead of following, he went to the tap, filled a gourd ladle with water, and poured it on the soil, intending to play with the mud.

When Tang Zhitong used two small pieces of wood to prop up the pot and carried it out, he saw Jingmin's two little hands rummaging in the dirt.

"You child, aren't you dirty? Smell your hands, don't they stink?" Tang Zhitong said as she placed the pot under the door without stopping. The group had been there for over an hour, and they needed to stay hydrated in the hot weather.

Upon hearing his brother-in-law's words, Jingmin, who was on the other side, put his muddy hands under his nose and immediately frowned: "Brother-in-law, what did you mix into the soil?"

"See the toilet? I mixed in some landmines, how about it? Satisfying, right?" Tang Zhitong turned on the tap with a mischievous grin, waiting for his brother-in-law to wash his hands.

"Won't this burn the seedlings?" Jingmin, no longer caring about playing in the mud, put his hands under the tap and kept rinsing them. Xiao Wang, who overheard their conversation, asked from behind.

"There's not much mixed in, so there won't be any problems." The soil transported from the escort office wasn't fertile enough, and Tang Zhitong didn't want to wait until it was moved over to turn the soil again, so he just mixed it in randomly. There was more silt and wood ash, and only a small amount of feces. After all, he would be living here in the future, and he didn't want to smell the stench of excrement every day.

"Why does it still smell bad? What should I do, brother-in-law?" Jingmin washed his hands under the tap for a while, even picking at his fingernails, and then smelled them again, but they still didn't feel clean.

"It's just your imagination. It's been washed very clean, there's no smell." Tang Zhitong bent down, took his brother-in-law's hand, and sniffed it under his nose.

After hearing Tang Zhitong's words, Jingmin walked away with some skepticism.

Tang Zhitong picked up the gourd ladle that his brother-in-law had thrown aside and carefully scrubbed it several times under the tap.

There are no water cups here, so we'll have to take turns drinking water from gourd ladles. We're all family, so no one needs to look down on anyone else.

To prevent his brother-in-law from causing trouble again, Tang Zhitong pulled him aside and asked about the algae: "Jingmin, did your school teachers require you to grow algae?"

"Yes, I'm also a group leader! There weren't enough algae in the school, so the teacher asked me to grow them and then share them with my classmates!" Jingmin's sense of collective honor immediately surfaced when he talked about this, and his words were full of pride.

"Wow, not bad, not bad, you're one step closer to becoming the commander. How's your child doing?" Tang Zhitong knew when to praise, and she didn't want to dampen the child's enthusiasm. Fengzhi hadn't even become a group leader; she went with the cleaned canning jars but brought nothing home.

"Brother-in-law, the seedlings were just distributed yesterday, so it's too early to tell. I estimate we'll have to wait a few more days before they can be transplanted," Jingmin replied in a serious manner.

"That makes a lot of sense. Once it's grown up, how do you want to eat it?"

“Here you go! Brother-in-law, I want to give this to you. You can eat it however you want. Mom has said it many times: you've made the biggest contribution at home!” Jingmin blurted out as if he had prepared a draft.

“…You raised them with all your own hard work, so you should eat them first. I can help you make some.” Jingmin’s words almost made Tang Zhitong choke. His brother-in-law meant well, and logically this was a reward for his efforts. He should be happy, but why couldn’t he feel happy?

“No way, brother-in-law, you made so many toys for me and promised to buy me a bed and a desk. I think giving you the algae to eat is the best way to repay you.” Jingmin counted the toys on his fingers as if he were counting them, and then said very seriously.

"Serves you right!" Having witnessed her husband and brother's interaction, Xiao Wang first smiled and mouthed something to her husband, who was looking over, in silent approval, then said gloatingly, "You've finally met your match!"

"Jingmin, the reason I make toys for you is that your older sister often says you don't have any toys at home. Although your older sister often beats you, she still cares about you."

Then there's your second sister. Although she hits you too, it's all for your own good. She wants you to study hard, right?

We all care about you in different ways, but our intentions are always good.

Shouldn't you also give them a little something in return?
Good things should be shared, right?

Tang Zhitong ignored Xiao Wang's teasing and tried hard to reason with his brother-in-law, hoping he would change his mind.

The taste of the chlorella was no less than that of the soil in the yard, so Tang Zhitong naturally didn't want to eat it. She couldn't refuse her brother-in-law's kindness, but she could still shift the blame. Even if she didn't let Jingmin use the chlorella to curry favor with Director Ye, she could still drag Xiao Wang and Jingying into it.

"Brother-in-law, you're so naughty." Hearing Tang Zhitong say this, Jingying blushed again. She was already a grown woman and knew where algae came from. Could this stuff be eaten? She was hesitant and resistant.

After saying that, Jingying recalled the way her brother-in-law had hooked her sister's chin earlier, and mentally labeled him as: definitely a bad guy.

(End of this chapter)