"The store wasn’t busy, so I came back, but the door was locked. Knowing you might have stepped out, I’ll take you to see my yard," Zhao Tianlei said.
"Sure, let’s go have a look," they agreed.
Now that the house had been bought, it was time to go and see which yard it was.
Zhao Tianhe led them to the said yard.
"It’s cold these days, so I hired two carpenters to do a simple renovation on the yard and also bought some furniture," he explained.
When the elders arrived at the yard Zhao Tianhe had purchased,
Little Uncle Zhao’s first impression was that it wasn’t as big as the house back in their hometown.
Little Aunt Zhao said, "It’s completely sufficient for them to live as a family."
Team leader Zhao looked around and felt that the house wasn’t small. Putting everything else aside, owning a place in the Capital City was definitely a good thing.
Yet Mrs. Zhao had heard that many people were still cramming their entire families into just two rooms.
"We still need to get whatever is necessary."
Little Aunt Zhao looked around inside and out, feeling that it was too empty.
There were things to be added, like the kitchen only had a stove. Without kindling or firewood, how could it work?
After seeing their son’s house, the Zhao family elders also wanted to visit Zhao Xinxin’s house.
"I don’t have the key. After buying the house, little sister handed the key to Wang Jianguo, and I heard Jianguo took over the renovation. I’ve been too busy with my own renovations to check it out," Zhao Tianhe said.
Without the key, they couldn’t visit it.
So they decided to leave the visit for another time.
After wandering around a bit, they returned home first.
It was still too cold outside, and they were not yet accustomed to the climate in Capital City since their recent arrival.
Because there were elderly at home today, Yun Xiaoxiao didn’t go to the library after class; instead, she returned to the Courtyard House.
Even Zhao Tianlei didn’t eat lunch at school but rode his bicycle back home.
"Why have you also come back? Don’t you still have a class this afternoon?"
Normally, he would have had lunch at school, then read some books, before heading to class when it was time.
"Just came back to see how things are."
Yun Xiaoxiao looked at him, "I’m planning to take them shopping tomorrow to buy some new clothes. Day after tomorrow, little uncle and little aunt have to meet my parents."
The city folks still looked down on the country people; it was better to make an effort and dress formally for such a meeting.
Little Aunt Zhao still felt quite cold.
When Yun Xiaoxiao took them shopping, they saw lots of things, including clothes.
Little Aunt Zhao thought the clothes were expensive, so she was reluctant to buy any.
"Little Aunt, Xiao He and little sister are busy with work and can’t make it. Let me pick out some clothes for you," Xiaoxiao offered.
Mrs. Zhao wanted to say that buying clothes was okay, but they shouldn’t be too expensive.
Yun Xiaoxiao didn’t take them to Yuntian Clothing Store, where the clothes were more suited for younger people these days.
Instead, she brought them to a shop for seniors.
For Little Uncle Zhao and team leader Zhao, she chose that very era-appropriate blue cotton-padded jacket.
As for Little Aunt Zhao and Mrs. Zhao, she picked out dark red cotton-padded jackets, suitable for the elderly.
She also bought them sweaters, thermal underwear, and even snow boots.
The sight made the elders distressed over the expenses.
"All right, that’s enough," they protested.
In the end, Yun Xiaoxiao took them to a jewelry store, picking out hats for them. In Capital City, wearing hats made it warmer, especially for Mrs. Zhao and Little Aunt Zhao who didn’t rest properly after childbirth. As they aged, they felt the cold more acutely, particularly when the wind blew against their heads, causing headaches.
"Xiao Yun, are you working here?" Little Aunt Zhao, spotting Fang Meiyun, was somewhat excited, wondering how she came to be in this place.