"This house is truly spacious. I've never lived in such a large one before," Li Xiulan said, walking from upstairs to downstairs, feeling quite novel.
"Mom, you'll live in this room from now on," Chen Lishu said with a smile, pointing to a room on the first floor towards the back. The bed and cabinets were already prepared.
"What is this?" Li Xiulan suddenly pointed to a light green cabinet in the kitchen.
"Auntie, this is a refrigerator. It can keep food fresh and freeze things," Zhao Qiuyue explained with a smile, her hands not stopping as she arranged the tableware.
Li Xiulan had only seen a television after coming to the city, and had never even heard of an electric refrigerator. Seeing the refrigerator, she couldn't help but sigh, "Life is truly better now. I've managed to catch a good time."
"Mom, I don't have class tomorrow morning. I'll stay with you tonight."
Gu Xingping, after helping to tidy up Li Xiulan's room, ran over and said with a giggle.
She hadn't lived in such a big house before, so she had to experience it properly.
Li Xiulan turned to ask Chen Lishu at the door, "Lishu, will some of the children stay for dinner? How about I go buy some ingredients and cook something at home? It would be like a housewarming."
Chen Lishu nodded, and just as she was about to take money from her pocket, Li Xiulan pushed her hand away, "You gave me a lot of money last time. I still have some here. I'll tell you when I run out."
Hearing her say that, Chen Lishu gave up.
Soon, Li Xiulan went out to buy groceries with Gu Xingping.
With more people, the work went faster. It only took two or three hours to arrange all the moved items. Chen Lishu didn't have to lift a finger. She was even given a chair by Chen Liyuan to sit and watch.
After everyone finished, Li Xiulan and Zhao Qiuyue also finished preparing the meal.
There were a total of six dishes and one soup. Everyone gathered around a large round table and enjoyed a lively meal.
The next day, Chen Lishu and Zhao Qiuyue returned to their rented place to terminate the lease with the landlord.
They had rented it in August, and the landlord was a good person, returning the deposit and one month's rent to Chen Lishu.
After moving, their new residence was much closer to the commercial street, only about three or four bus stops away, making it convenient for shopping. Li Xiulan and Qiuyue would occasionally walk over for a stroll.
Chen Lishu had stopped her business at the fabric stall after the incident with Liang Chunsheng.
Firstly, she didn't want to cause trouble. Secondly, with the household contract responsibility system implemented in the past two years, cotton production had increased year by year, leading to a large backlog of cotton cloth in many textile factories. Some even started selling without fabric coupons.
Moreover, with the construction of the 'four sets of chemical fiber equipment' introduced by the country, the supply of polyester-cotton blends would significantly increase starting next year, and fabric coupons would be abolished.
"Aunt Yuan, please make two dresses for me. Here are the approximate measurements. You can decide the style, but make them simple and elegant. You can discuss the fabric with Wang Aixiang."
She was grateful for Han Shengquan's help in resolving the issue with the Industrial and Commercial Bureau so smoothly last time. Giving a gift directly would not look good, but as a return favor, Chen Lishu wanted to ask Yuan Lihua to make two dresses, and also send one to Han Shenglin's wife. She had met both of them and knew their approximate sizes.
In fact, Chen Lishu had a selfish motive for giving clothes. She planned to pursue a high-end market with Yuan Lihua in the future, and the best advertisement would be these ladies of status.
"Xiao Chen, when do you need them by?"
Chen Lishu: "Can they be finished within a week?"
Her body was getting heavier, and she planned to stop going out after a while, focusing on her pregnancy at home.
"Yes, I can." Summer clothes are not like clothes for other seasons, so these are relatively easy to make.
"Oh, Aunt Xia, have you considered taking on two apprentices? It would be good to have them help you with some tasks."
The policy was relatively relaxed now, and for individual artisans and handicraft workers, a master craftsman could take on five apprentices.
However, as the saying goes, teaching an apprentice starves the master, so most people were reluctant to pass on their skills.
Yuan Lihua smiled, "If there are suitable ones, taking two is fine. I'm not that picky."
Since her daughter passed away, she had become more indifferent to everything. Now that she didn't have to worry about food or clothing and had people around her, she was already content. It was good to help the children as much as she could.
Chen Lishu was relieved to hear her words, but recruiting people was not an urgent matter. She had limited energy now and could take her time to look.
A week later, Yuan Lihua finished the two dresses. Chen Lishu took some time to visit Han Shenglin's home.
Han Shenglin's wife, Zhu Jinfeng, saw her arrive and enthusiastically invited her in, "Look at your belly, you're about to give birth, aren't you? Don't be polite, please sit down. The weather is getting hotter, let me get you a cup of water."
As she spoke, she went to the cabinet, picked up a bamboo-woven thermos, and then a glass cup that was inverted on a teacup holder. She poured a cup of cooled boiled water and handed it to Chen Lishu.
"Thank you, Aunt Zhu."
Chen Lishu took it and took a sip before putting down the cup. She then opened the bag in her hand, "I made this based on your approximate size, Aunt Zhu. I'm not sure if it fits."
When Zhu Jinfeng saw the clothes she took out, although the style was relatively simple, the cutting, the lines, and especially the embroidery on the neckline were incredibly lifelike. She loved them at first sight.
"You child, you're so far along, how can you still be doing needlework?"
Chen Lishu smiled, "It wasn't me who made them, Aunt Zhu. As you know, I own a clothing store, and there's a master craftsman there with excellent skills. To tell you a secret, she used to make clothes for noble ladies."
"Is that so? I knew these clothes looked different from those made in ordinary shops." Zhu Jinfeng held the dress against her chest for a few times, unable to put it down.
"My nephew from my maternal family is getting married in a couple of days, and I was wondering what to wear. Lishu, you've helped me a lot."
"Actually, I came this time because I wanted to ask for your help, Aunt Zhu." Then Chen Lishu explained the recent matters at the store.
"It was thanks to Director Han's help. If I had gone to the bureau and been seen by outsiders, it would have caused him trouble. I met Director Han's wife, so I made a dress for her too. But I'm not very familiar with her, so I wanted to ask you, Aunt Zhu, to introduce me."
Zhu Jinfeng felt relieved when she heard it was such a small matter.
To be honest, if Chen Lishu had asked her for help to pull strings with Director Han, she would have had to consider whether or not to accept the dress.
"She's probably at home at this time. I'll go with you."
"Thank you, Aunt Zhu."
Chen Lishu said thankfully, stood up, and went to Han Shengquan's home with Zhu Jinfeng.
Meanwhile, at a high-end Western restaurant, Zhu Shasha was sitting face to face with a man.