Chapter 185: Upstairs and Downstairs, Lights and Phones
At noon, after eating two bowls of porridge at his in-laws' house, Deng Yuntai looked at his mother-in-law and asked, "Mom, have you packed your luggage?"
Mrs. Zhang replied, "I've just packed some clean clothes. Do we need to bring diapers?"
Deng Yuntai smiled and said, "You really don't need to bring diapers. We've already prepared plenty at home."
Mrs. Zhang nodded. "Okay, as long as they're available."
Deng Yuntai then turned to his father-in-law. "Dad, it's getting late now. I'll head back first. I'll come back to share the good news after Ah Ping gives birth."
Mr. Zhang hummed in acknowledgment. "Then I'll wait for your good news."
After saying goodbye to his brothers-in-law, Deng Yuntai took his mother-in-law back to Thatchfield Village on his bicycle.
As they left New Dock Village, Deng Yuntai said, "Mom, we'll be at Dragon Lake Street soon. Do you want to stop by the store and say hello to the two sisters-in-law?"
Mrs. Zhang agreed. "Let's go and say hello. You haven't seen our store yet, so why not take a look?"
Deng Yuntai nodded and focused on riding. With his mother-in-law on the back seat, he couldn't go too fast or ride on bumpy terrain like he did with his wife. At the same time, he couldn't go too slow, as the pressure was still quite high.
After some effort, they finally arrived at Dragon Lake Street. Following his mother-in-law's directions, they came to the small shop selling agricultural products.
Since it wasn't a market day and it was noon, there were no customers in the store. Mrs. Zhang Da and Mrs. Zhang Er were chatting while eating melon seeds.
Seeing their mother-in-law and brother-in-law walk in, the two sisters-in-law were surprised and quickly stood up to greet them.
Mrs. Zhang didn't waste time. After exchanging greetings, she explained the situation to her daughters-in-law. Finally, she said, "I'll go back with Yuntai today, and then we'll head to Bobai together tomorrow. For the next month, I won't be at home, so you two will have to work hard."
After hearing this, Mrs. Zhang Da and Mrs. Zhang Er were extremely envious of their sister-in-law. Going to the county hospital to give birth and even arriving half a month early to prepare—such treatment was unheard of in the countryside.
The matter of the mother-in-law taking care of her sister-in-law during childbirth had already been discussed the day before, but the timeline was longer than expected.
In front of their brother-in-law, Mrs. Zhang Da and Mrs. Zhang Er behaved very well, assuring their mother-in-law that they would handle things at home so she could focus on taking care of their sister-in-law.
Mrs. Zhang nodded with satisfaction and, after a brief stay, asked her son-in-law to leave.
After watching her mother-in-law and brother-in-law leave, Mrs. Zhang Da couldn't help but say, "Our sister-in-law is so lucky. Not only did she marry into a good family, but her father-in-law is also so good to her. Going to the county town half a month early to prepare for childbirth—such attention is unparalleled!"
Mrs. Zhang Er nodded. "Yes, going to Bobai half a month early to prepare for childbirth—I don't know how much that will cost. If it were any other family, even if they were wealthy, they probably wouldn't be willing to spend so much. Our sister-in-law has really married into a blessed nest."
While Deng Yuntai went to invite his mother-in-law, Zhang Xiuping also shared the news with her two sisters that she was planning to go to Bobai early to prepare for childbirth.
This news, of course, caused another round of exclamations from her sisters.
After all, going to the county town half a month early to prepare for childbirth was an unheard-of move in rural areas during this era. Even those who went to the county town to give birth usually only did so in emergencies, such as difficult labor.
The next day, after breakfast, Deng Shirong, Mrs. Zhang, Deng Yuntai, Zhang Xiuping, Deng Yunzhen, Bu Dafang, and Bu Dashi—a total of seven people—headed to Temple Lotus Intersection.
Bu Dafang and Bu Dashi, the brother and sister, naturally wouldn't be going to Bobai. They followed the group to Temple Lotus Intersection mainly to ride their bicycles back.
Originally, they could have taken the bus from the village entrance to Bobai, but the road from Thatchfield Village to Temple Lotus Intersection was so rough that Deng Shirong was worried the bus ride would be too bumpy for his eldest daughter-in-law. So, he suggested taking the bus from Temple Lotus Intersection, where the road conditions to Bobai were much better.
At this time, Zhang Xiuping was sitting on the back seat of the bicycle, while Deng Yuntai pushed the bicycle and walked with everyone.
Bu Dashi, on the other hand, rode a bicycle loaded with luggage. He would ride for a while, stop and wait for everyone to catch up, and then continue riding.
After more than an hour, everyone arrived at Temple Lotus Intersection.
After unloading the luggage from the bicycle, Deng Shirong said, "Alright, Dafang and Dashi, you two can head back now."
The Bu siblings responded, said their goodbyes, and then rode their bicycles back.
Temple Lotus Intersection was the largest trunk road in Bobai County, and the traffic volume was naturally much higher than in the remote mountainous area of Double Prosperity.
Therefore, the group waited for less than half an hour before the bus to Bobai County arrived.
At noon, on Main Street in Bobai County, Deng Shirong brought his son, daughter-in-law, and mother-in-law to the two-story building he had bought.
Seeing the two-story building, Mrs. Zhang was filled with surprise. She had thought her in-laws were renting a house, but she hadn't expected it to be a two-story building.
The building was originally a bit old, but after renovations, it still looked very good.
Especially when she saw the light bulb hanging from the ceiling, Mrs. Zhang could hardly take her eyes off it.
At this time, only a very small part of the rural areas in Bobai County had access to electricity. Most rural areas, including New Dock Village, did not have electricity.
Now, living in a two-story house in the county town with electricity—even though it was only rented by her in-laws—Mrs. Zhang was thrilled.
After all, the biggest dream for rural people in this era was encapsulated in a phrase that became popular in the 1950s and 1960s: "Upstairs and downstairs, electricity and telephone."
Now, this house had everything—upstairs and downstairs, electricity—all it lacked was a telephone. This was the life rural people dreamed of.
Deng Shirong gave a tour of the house. "Mother-in-law, there's only one room on the first floor. Next to it is the bathroom, and this is the kitchen. There are four rooms on the second floor. Three of them have beds, and two have wardrobes. Mother-in-law, please choose a room with a wardrobe. The other room will be for Yuntai and Ah Ping."
Mrs. Zhang quickly declined. "My in-laws, I only have a few sets of clothes to wash and change. There's no need for a wardrobe. Just leave them on the bed. Give the room with the wardrobe to my sister-in-law."
Deng Yunzhen waved her hand. "Aunt, I also only have a few sets of clothes. I don't need a wardrobe. You can have it."
Deng Shirong smiled. "My dear relative, don't refuse. The baby's diapers and other miscellaneous things will need to be stored here. You'll definitely need this wardrobe."
Deng Yuntai and Zhang Xiuping also chimed in to persuade her.
Finally, Mrs. Zhang relented. "In that case, I won't refuse."
Soon, the rooms were assigned.
Deng Shirong took the room downstairs. The two rooms with wardrobes on the second floor were given to Mrs. Zhang and Deng Yuntai and his wife. The remaining room with a bed was left to Deng Yunzhen.
After settling the rooms and unpacking their luggage, the family went out to eat in high spirits.
(End of this chapter)