novellhall Chapter 135: Construction officially begins on the 7th of the lunar month.
Chapter 135: Construction officially begins on the 7th of the lunar month.
"I've noted down everything you said. I'll write to you about it later," Huo Jiyun said softly.
"That's fine then." Joan said, gently rubbing her lower abdomen.
"What's wrong? Does your stomach hurt?"
"Huh? How did you know?" Joan looked up in surprise.
Huo Jiyun served in the army, but he wasn't stupid.
He knew that women experience menstrual cramps.
He also knew that during his period, he couldn't drink cold drinks, touch cold water, or eat cold foods.
"You rest on the kang (heated brick bed), I'll go make you some brown sugar ginger water."
Huo Jiyun was busy in the kitchen, cooking both lunch and dinner.
Although it was just simple noodles and porridge, Qiao An found it exceptionally comforting.
They are caring, which is a great quality.
Many men think that it's normal for women to have periods.
Is it really necessary to be so fussy?
Some people even think they're faking it so they can slack off.
But Huo Jiyun is not.
For the next two days, Huo Jiyun took care of all the housework.
Before going to bed at night, he would first rub his own hands to warm them, and then warm Qiao An's belly.
On the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, Qiao An got up at six o'clock in the morning.
Huo Jiyun hugged her affectionately.
"Are you leaving so early?"
"I made an appointment with Director Geng today, and we have to start work at noon."
Huo Jiyun lingered on her sweet scent.
"Honey, I don't want you to leave."
"You have to accept it, don't let it stop me from making money." Qiao An laughed and slapped his hand away.
She turned around, reached out, and cupped his face in her hands.
"Only after I've earned enough money can I go to the Northwest to join the army with peace of mind, and only then can our children live a good life."
Joan coaxed him like a child.
"It's all my fault, the salary I earn is too low." Huo Jiyun pouted.
"Well, it's just low now, it'll go up later."
Joanne wasn't trying to comfort him.
According to the novel's plot, Huo Jiyun eventually becomes a general.
They have money and power.
This is definitely a stock with great potential.
"Okay, okay, I've prepared all the ingredients and put them in the kitchen. I'll trouble you to cook lunch for the kids, my husband."
Joanne gently kissed his forehead, then got dressed.
Huo Jiyun grinned foolishly.
At seven o'clock, Aunt Liu and Dongmei also arrived.
The three of them rode a tricycle today.
Once the New Year is over, the morning wind doesn't seem so cold anymore.
The three of them took turns riding bicycles, and after more than forty minutes, they finally arrived at the machine tool factory.
Qiao An brought Aunt Liu and Dongmei to the logistics department.
Geng Qiusheng was already waiting here.
"Qiao An, you've finally arrived! Come on, come on! I'll take you for a walk around the cafeteria."
Geng Qiusheng led the three of them to the staff canteen.
The machine tool factory's staff canteen was very large, with a total of thirteen food serving windows.
The dishes at each window are not exactly the same.
But most of them are stir-fries.
Geng Qiusheng stopped at the innermost window.
Looking at the food serving window furthest from the cafeteria entrance, Qiao An couldn't help but find it somewhat ridiculous.
"Director Geng, this window is quite far away. If your eyesight isn't good, you won't be able to see it," Qiao An teased.
Geng Qiusheng looked a little embarrassed and quickly explained, "There's one slot for each radish at our cafeteria window."
"To be honest, those guys in front of me are all relatives of the county leaders, there's nothing I can do about it."
"But your steamed buns are famous in our cafeteria. Good wine needs no bush, so don't worry, business won't suffer."
Joan is not someone who likes to be flattered.
But Geng Qiusheng's last words were very pleasing to the ear.
The vegetables in this space taste good no matter what you cook them with, and they're guaranteed to do good business no matter where you put them.
"Aunt Liu, Dongmei, could you please tidy up the inside?"
Qiao An glanced inside; the stove was covered in dust.
"Please put away the tools we brought. I'll go buy a large steamer and some vegetables, and I'll be back in a bit."
"Okay, you go ahead and get busy. We'll knead the dough, and it won't be too late for lunch," Aunt Liu said cheerfully.
Qiao An rode his tricycle into the black market and arrived at Feng Sanqiang's house.
Before the Lunar New Year, she asked Feng Sanqiang to buy her a large steamer when he took her grandmother to the county town for medical treatment.
This is exactly what I need now.
Feng Sanqiang had a very comfortable New Year.
Grandma went to the county town for treatment and medication on time, and her old ailment never recurred.
The doctor said that I only need to go to the hospital for a check-up once every three months.
The heated kang (a traditional brick bed) in the house runs day and night, and you have to take off your cotton-padded coat before entering the room.
As for food, that's another story.
There's plenty of rice, noodles, and meat, plus lots of fresh fruit.
Feng Sanqiang sometimes felt that this was the kind of life even the gods in heaven lived.
And all of this is because of Joan.
If it weren't for Joan, who knows what the three brothers would be doing now?
Perhaps when they are desperate, they might resort to petty theft.
As for Grandma, it's even less likely she'll recover so well.
When Feng Sanqiang saw Qiao An, his eyes sparkled. "Big sister, you're here! Grandma has been talking about you these past few days."
"How is Grandma's health?"
"That's great! Now I can eat more than ten dumplings in one meal!" Da Bao grinned from ear to ear.
For the elderly, being able to eat is a blessing.
Joanne was happy for them too.
"Did you get the large steamer I ordered?"
"I bought it, it's in the side room."
Qiao An went inside and said a few words to her grandmother. Then she asked Da Bao to ride the tricycle she had lent them, put on the steamer basket, and go with her to the machine tool factory.
As for her tricycle, it was piled high with ingredients.
At the machine tool factory canteen, all the cooks at the windows were busy preparing lunch.
Many people noticed that someone was active in window number 13.
"Hey! There really is some idiot who's booked out that innermost window?"
"I heard it's the one who sells steamed buns?"
"What? You mean that steamed bun you queued for three days and still couldn't get?"
"Absolutely! Let me tell you, our business is going to be much harder now that she's here."
"Hmph! She's just a woman, what's there to be afraid of? We can just use a little trick to drive her away, right?"
Joan was unaware of the great threat her arrival posed to the other people at the windows.
Even if she knew, she wouldn't care.
When doing business, the thing you should never be afraid of is others being envious.
Their envy proves your business is doing well.
When Qiao An returned to the cafeteria, Da Bao helped her carry the steamer basket through the window.
"Big sister, if anything happens here, just let us know. Our brothers are ready to come anytime."
Da Bao has a loud voice and deliberately raises his voice so that others can hear him.
Sanqiang said that it's very difficult for women to do anything these days, so they want to help their eldest sister.
"Okay, you can go back now." Qiao Anxin understood.
There are three large stove holes in the window.
Just enough for one steamed bun, one pan-fried pancake, and one boiled dumpling.
Qiao An called to Dong Mei, and the two of them unloaded the groceries from the tricycle together.
She didn't need to go to the police station today. Jiang Yushun knew that she had contracted the canteen window of the machine tool factory, so he specially granted her a day off.
At 10 a.m., Fan Liangui and Xu Fengxian also arrived.
Qiao An explained the situation and then talked about wages in front of Aunt Liu and Dongmei.
All four people received the same salary, so there was no need for any suspicion among them.
Upon hearing that the salary was so high, Xu Fengxian waved her hands repeatedly.
"This is too much. You don't need to take such good care of us."