The three ceramic basins were full. Tian Jing pointed to the two less full ones, "The numbers are all bought according to what you gave me, and the toiletries and face cream are all the same."
"The basin for mother-in-law, I thought of it as a public one, but we have quite a few wooden basins at home. For public use, let's use the wooden ones."
"One basin per person, for convenience and hygiene. Separate one for your elder brother too, tell him to use a wooden basin. He's strong, he won't mind a heavy wooden basin."
Li Min was so touched that tears streamed down her face, "Sister-in-law, you are so kind. But if you do this, what good things have you pawned? Will you be able to redeem them later?"
Tian Jing flicked her forehead, "Don't overthink it. I'm not so prodigal that I need to pawn things to live. Given how silly you are, I'll secretly tell you, but you must keep your mouth shut."
Although Li Zhengguo had told her not to tell Li Min, Li Min had already decided to break off the engagement. They would be living together from now on, and there would be many expenses. She couldn't avoid Li Min.
"I've dug up ginseng. Our family doesn't lack money. You absolutely cannot brag to others about the things our family has acquired."
"If it weren't for the opportunity of your hundred yuan, I wouldn't dare to buy so many things at once. Fortunately, it was too late when we got back. After dividing the things, hiding them in various places in the room won't make them so conspicuous."
Ignoring the stunned Li Min, Tian Jing picked up the pile of basins high in front of her, "Li Zhengguo, pack the kitchen items like soy sauce and vinegar into enamel basins and store them all in the west room to avoid attracting thieves."
Fortunately, she had the foresight to buy a few locks. The door to the west room would need to be locked in the future. Her mother-in-law's east room had visitors, so it wouldn't be locked. She put a lock into Li Min's hand, who was still in a daze.
"This is for you to lock your kang cabinet. If you think the lock catch on the kang cabinet isn't secure enough, ask your elder brother to replace it. We've bought new ones."
Awakened by the coolness of the metal, Li Min patted her cheek. "Calm down, calm down. From now on, if anyone says my sister-in-law is a martial arts master or a fairy, I'll believe them!"
"I must remain calm. Didn't I always feel that following my sister-in-law would mean I could eat well? Yes, from now on, I'll be able to wear warm clothes and take care of myself. Look, sister-in-law has already bought these for me."
Li Zhengguo obediently moved all the kitchen items to the west room. "Where's the thermos?" he asked Tian Jing, who followed him in, after looking around the floor of his room.
"It's in the kitchen. Your sister put it there. Go get the sweet potatoes, scrub the pot, add water, and ask mother-in-law to boil a pot of water while she's at it."
"Okay."
After Li Zhengguo left, Tian Jing, who was tidying things up, suddenly remembered the sanitary pads underneath the thermos.
Oh my god.
Tian Jing quickly ran to the kitchen. Li Zhengguo was still scrubbing the pot. She breathed a sigh of relief, took the thermos, placed it on the stove, and then, holding the bamboo basket, she quietly left the kitchen as if covering her ears to block out sound.
Mother Li looked at her elder son pretending not to see his daughter-in-law's self-deceiving behavior. Her eyes were full of confusion, but she didn't ask.
Tian Jing carried the bamboo basket to the east room. Li Min was sorting things out, taking them out one by one, looking at them, touching them, and sighing.
Tian Jing threw two packs of sanitary pads into her basin, "Look at you. They're just daily necessities. Buy more when they're used up. It's like you've been given heirlooms. This, however, is the heirloom."
After saying that, she couldn't help but chuckle. Laughing, she opened the sanitary pads and, imitating the saleswoman, taught Li Min how to use them one by one, making Li Min so embarrassed that she wished she could crawl into a hole.
Tian Jing then pointed to the main hall in the middle, "Take five packs of toilet paper in here. I bought toilet paper to replace the leaves we use for wiping our bottoms."
"For that monthly thing, I plan to sew them myself. When I have time, I'll tell you. Hurry up and put everything away. I'm busy, I don't have time for you to be sentimental."
Her sister-in-law's actions chased away Li Min's inner感动 and shyness. She quickly got busy, folding her own things and her mother's things on the kang. The toiletries were placed in basins and put into the kang cabinet.
Then she ran to the kitchen to find her elder brother, "Brother, Mom and I need a cabinet to store small items."
Li Zhengguo nodded, "Exactly. We also need a cabinet in our room, and a cabinet for storing grain."
In the future, it would be more appropriate to store grain in their room. Villagers would visit his mother's room, but no one would dare to enter their room with Sweetie guarding it.
Tian Jing, after organizing her things into the kang cabinet, also realized they needed more cabinets. Hearing this conversation at the kitchen door, she smiled.
"Comrade Li Zhengguo, you'll be very busy for the next while. You still have two lounge chairs to make. It would be best to have a wall-mounted shelf-like cabinet in the kitchen to store dishwashing basins and other kitchen utensils. Also, I want a courtyard, and the kitchen wall is drafty."
"Alright, alright," Li Zhengguo replied with a smile. "I'll find some helpers to build the courtyard, and I'll find helpers to make the cabinets and lounge chairs. The kitchen wall can wait a little longer."
"Okay," Tian Jing nodded vigorously and patted Li Min's arm. "Tomorrow, it's your turn to work hard. The day after tomorrow, your elder brother and I will go to Zhangshan. There's too much work at home. Hurry up and get started, one thing after another."
"But, can I not help?" Li Min hesitated slightly.
"Silly girl, that's a fake! A fake!" Tian Jing said, hating her lack of progress. "If you dare to make a real one for me, I'll chop you up and burn you for firewood."
Li Min shrank her head. "It's very difficult."
"Didn't you have so much strength that you even wiped the lampshade and broke it?"
"I'll try my best," Li Min mumbled. "Sister-in-law, you should eat quickly."
Tian Jing waved her away impatiently, "Go to the table in the main hall and move those snacks into the east room for mother-in-law to eat when she's hungry. Eat the sponge cake first, don't let it spoil."
Mother Li was startled, "Why buy me snacks? You young people are the ones who love snacks."
"But," Tian Jing said with wide eyes, "when young people want snacks, don't they ask their elders in the east room?"
Mother Li was stunned, then raised her hand and touched her daughter-in-law's dry, yellow hair. "Yes, mother will save them for you. Come and get them when you want them."
"Then mother-in-law will eat them together too."
"Yes, together. We'll all eat."
Mother Li quickly left the kitchen, leaving the space to her son and daughter-in-law. She had seen the heartache in her son's eyes.
Li Zhengguo held Tian Jing's hand, "Tiantian, tell me what you want, and I'll get it for you."
"Mmm, tomorrow, first go to Dr. Yang and buy two bottles of scar removal cream."
"Okay."
The two of them gnawed on steamed sweet potatoes. The water in the pot boiled. Li Zhengguo first used some boiling water to warm the thermos before filling it with boiling water, and then carried a bottle to the east room.
"Mother, did you see the string of enamel cups in the kitchen? Pick a small one to drink from. The large one, Tiantian said can be used to hold things."
"Okay, I know." Mother Li was looking at her pile of things, her heart full of joy. Tears welled up in her eyes. Her daughter said there was still a lot of fabric and yarn, enough for the family to use for many years.