Courtyard houses: Those who are capable are rewarded, and many children bring many blessings.

Looking at Chen Xueru again, she wasn't wearing her usual favorite silk cheongsam anymore. Instead, she was wearing a pink cardigan with five buttons, three of which were fastened.

That touch of pink and white, faintly visible, the light blue pants had a side opening.

Her blue trousers were different from those worn by ordinary women; they had a short crotch and resembled bell-bottoms of later generations.

Although the trousers were baggy at the ankles, they were fitted at the hips, perfectly showcasing her round and full buttocks.

This outfit has that 1980s modern girl vibe, all it's missing is a pair of sunglasses.

Niu Dazhuang opened one arm, and Chen Xueru swayed over and sat sideways on Niu Dazhuang's lap.

"Tsk tsk... When it comes to fashion sense, you're the best."

"Clothing style? What does that mean?" Chen Xueru is from Yuhang, and she occasionally speaks with a local accent.

"Clothing style is about your taste in clothes. Look at you, the same blue pants and pink jacket, but you've changed it so much, tsk tsk...so feminine."

Xu Huizhen pursed her lips: "What's the big deal? I have some too, but I just don't want to wear them. They're too tight around the crotch, and the pants are so narrow. I can't wear them to work. Let her squat a few times and see if she can even squat down!"

"Hehe, Huizhen, don't be envious. You have it too, so go put it on. I'm not here to do chores."

"I'll wear it, you wait here." With that, he went back into the house, washed his hands first, and then went into the inner room to find the clothes.

Xu Huizhen went even further, wearing nothing but pants and a blue jacket without any undergarments.

She initially only buttoned the bottom two buttons of her jacket, but after looking in the mirror and finding it didn't look very good, she buttoned the last button.

How should I put it? He came out shakily.

What follows is the story of the two best friends who united to fight against the Japanese for eight years.

(20,000 words omitted here)

The lingering heat

"I have something serious to tell you. After the summer grain harvest this year, you should stock up on more grain at home, and do it quietly."

"Where did you hear the news? Is there going to be a war?" Xu Huizhen asked lazily.

"It's hard to say, but there's no harm in stocking up. We should at least have enough to eat for two or three years."

"Oh, so many? Dazhuang, if there really is a war, you have to protect us." Chen Xueru quickly sought someone to rely on.

They had experienced war and knew how helpless and cheap women were during times of conflict.

Without a powerful backer, they're bound to end up in a bad situation.

Chen Xueru was just young at the time and hadn't fully matured. If she were like she is now, she would either have become a warlord's concubine, or...

Niu Dazhuang gently patted her back: "Don't worry, I won't abandon you. It might not be during a war, but I'm afraid other unexpected things might happen."

"If there's no war, what other surprises could there be? These past few years have been blessed with good weather and abundant harvests. My tavern's business is much better than before. What does that mean? It means that ordinary people's lives have improved and they have extra money."

Niu Dazhuang couldn't say much more: "Did you understand that I told you to stockpile more grain? Why don't my words carry any weight anymore?"

"Hey! You're so stubborn. We didn't say we wouldn't buy it, so why are you in such a hurry? You already calmed down a bit, so why are you still so irritable?" Xu Huizhen said calmly.

This kind of woman is truly remarkable. When her man throws a tantrum, she doesn't argue back, but instead uses her gentle haven to face the storm.

Niu Dazhuang wasn't an unreasonable person, so he smiled awkwardly and said, "There are many things I can't explain to you directly. I won't harm you, just do as I say."

Immediately, the two started doing the math: "Including our two families and your Zhang Ma, that's six people... If each person eats an average of one jin of staple food a day, that's 2160 jin a year. Over two years, that's 4320 jin, not too much, right? Is that enough for Dazhuang over two years? Do you need us to help you stock up a little more?"

"No need, we need to do it quietly, without letting outsiders see it. The cellar in Huizhen's yard is too obvious, we can't hide there, we need to think of another place."

"Put it at my house; outsiders generally don't go to my house."

"Your family won't be able to either. Here's what we'll do: give me all the grain you've bought, and I'll help you figure out a way to manage it. I'll take some with me every time I come over."

If it were someone else, no matter how you told them, they would definitely suspect it was a scam. But now, who is Niu Dazhuang to them? His bedmate. And their only bedmate.

Of course they are trustworthy.

These two were also very efficient; the next night, they secretly went to the black market.

They didn't dare ride bicycles; instead, each of them carried a two-meter-long wooden stick, about the thickness of an egg, partly for self-defense and partly to carry the grain they bought.

The night before, the two of them didn't buy much, just a little over half a bag of flour, which weighed about 40 or 50 pounds, and they carried it back.

Time flies, and so do people. In the north, spring and autumn are short. We haven't even worn long-sleeved clothes for a few days before we have to switch to short sleeves.

In the sixth month of the lunar calendar, the employees at the company held a farewell party for Bai Hongyan. The male colleagues were feeling a pang of regret, knowing they would no longer be able to see such a beautiful sight in the summer.

The men who usually line up at Yu Li's lunch window at noon were served lunch by a middle-aged woman today.

The male comrades were filled with despair. All the good-looking ones had been transferred away. Vice President Su was good-looking too, but they dared not look at him, lest he catch them.

That's a real punishment. I'm not afraid of being fined money, I'm afraid of being forced to copy the company's rules and regulations, and it's not just copying them once.

The rest are all misfits.

In the evening, at Yu Li's house

Niu Dazhuang arrived carrying an abacus.

Yu Li quickly took it: "I do know how to use an abacus, but I haven't used one for several years, so I've almost forgotten how."

"You'll be transferred there as a cashier and custodian. As long as you can calculate things clearly, that'll be fine. Be more attentive and learn more from the accountants back home."

"You don't need to tell me, I will definitely learn on my own." Yu Li has also made great strides in her work. She has been transferred to a branch office and no longer needs to cook in the kitchen. Bai Hongyan has arranged for her to work in the finance department of the company.

The key to Yu Li's progress is that she graduated from junior high school and can write and do arithmetic. If you can't read or write anything, you won't be able to seize opportunities even if they come your way.

If that's the case, then Bai Hongyan wouldn't have needed to transfer the person there. Although the sisters are very close, it's not good if they can't help her.

Yu Haitang, whose summer vacation was just around the corner, didn't go to school much anymore. Nothing beat staying at her sister's house! She could eat three meals a day, had her own room, and got plenty of snacks—it was practically a communist lifestyle.

Upon hearing that his older sister was being transferred, he immediately panicked.

"Sister, you can't do this! I've only lived here for a few days, and you've already transferred me to a different job. And so far away at that! What am I going to do?" That's how people are; it's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.

Although Yu Haitang had only stayed here for a little over a month, she was still very reluctant to go home. Not only was the living environment bad, but the food was also terrible, and there was endless housework to do.