Chapter 5 White Lotus

Early the next morning.

Wang Mengde was awakened by his biological clock. He looked at the sky outside and estimated that it was about 6 o'clock.

After quickly getting dressed, she went to the living room, opened the stove door first, washed some millet and put it in a bowl for later use, then put water in the pot and covered it.

Because I replaced the coal before going to bed last night, the fire started quickly.

Seeing that there was not much water left in the wooden barrels, Wang Mengde picked up the shoulder pole behind the door and carried the two wooden barrels out.

Most of the groundwater in Beijing is bitter, and there are very few sweet water wells. The one in Yard 95 is no exception. The water pumped from the pressurized wells can only be used for washing clothes, vegetables, and brushing teeth.

In those days, running water was not widely available. In the early years, there were water trucks in the alleys. They were filled with water from water pits, and then water delivery workers delivered water to every household.

A bucket of water costs 200 yuan (the price of the first set of RMB, equivalent to 2 cents in the second set of RMB).

Two years ago, Beijing City connected the water pipes from the Dongzhimen Water Plant to the entrance of the hutong, and Nanluoguxiang finally had running water. The days of water delivery workers using water trucks to deliver water became history, and every household went to the entrance of the hutong to fetch water.

When he went out, there were already a few housewives who had gotten up early and were busy by the pool in the middle courtyard. Wang Mengde greeted them with a smile and soon walked out of the courtyard.

After walking about a hundred meters, we arrived at the entrance of the alley, which was the water station.

The faucet is installed in a wooden box. There is a dedicated person in charge of the management of the water station. He will open the lock and release water at regular intervals during the day. When he gets off work at night, the person who looks after the faucet will lock the box.

Although it was not yet completely bright, there were already several people queuing up next to the water station. After waiting for a while, it was Wang Mengde's turn to get water.

There is no limit on the amount of water you can draw now, whether you carry it on your shoulders or in a basin. How much you can draw depends on your own needs and the size of the water tank.

The tap water fee at the water station is paid uniformly, 1000 yuan per household per month (equivalent to cent for the second set of water). At the end of the month, water company staff wearing light blue uniforms will collect the money from door to door.

After carrying the water back home and putting it away, Wang Mengde saw that the water in the pot had boiled, so he put the millet in the bowl into it. After boiling over high heat, he added a little alkaline noodles and then sealed the stove door, leaving a small gap.

After everything was ready, Wang Mengde got into position and started practicing boxing in the living room.

This set of boxing and kicking was learned by his father Wang Hao more than ten years ago when he was practicing medicine outside the city. He met an old Taoist priest who was shot. After treating him, he hid the old Taoist priest in his hometown outside the city.

A month later, the old Taoist priest recovered from his injuries and brought Wang Hao into the organization. In order to repay Wang Hao for saving his life, he taught him a set of Kung Fu, saying that if he practiced diligently, he would not only be able to strengthen his body but also prolong his life.

Wang Hao felt like he had found a treasure when he got this set of kung fu. Not only did he practice it frequently himself, he also asked Wang Mengde to practice it every day.

After practicing for more than ten years, I don't know if it is true that it can prolong life, but it does have the effect of strengthening the body. Don't be fooled by Wang Mengde's tall and thin appearance, but when it comes to fighting, even Sha Zhu is no match for him.

After practicing several times, half an hour had passed. Although the movements were not intense, he still sweated a lot. He simply wiped it off with a warm towel.

Guessing that the millet porridge would be ready soon, he put the steamed buns on the pot again, then took out four steamed buns made of double-mixed flour from the kitchen and put them on top.

While the steamed buns were still hot, Wang Mengde took a washbasin and a toothbrush and went to the sink in the middle courtyard to start washing.

He happened to meet Qin Huairu from next door. She was also washing up. After seeing him, she was stunned for a moment, then quickly smiled: "Mengde, you get up so early every day, why don't you sleep a little longer." In the morning, her mother-in-law and husband were still sleeping in bed, so she dared to chat with Wang Mengde like this.

On weekdays in the courtyard, Jia Zhang and Jia Dongxu would intentionally or unintentionally prevent her from contacting Wang Mengde. The only reason was that he was more handsome and good-looking than Jia Dongxu.

Wang Mengde glanced at this white lotus and said with a smile: "Sister-in-law Qin, I am used to it. Besides, I go to bed early and get up early to keep healthy."

Those who are younger than Jia Dongxu in the courtyard basically call her Sister Qin, except for Sha Zhu, of course. The title Sister Qin belongs only to him. If other people call her that, he will be so anxious that he will jump up and down.

Qin Huairu felt a little sad after hearing his words. Ever since she married into the Jia family, except for the period when she gave birth and was in confinement after childbirth, she had to get up early every day to cook.

My mother-in-law and my husband won't get up until it's almost time for dinner.

After calming herself down, she looked around and found that there was no one around. She threw her shiny braid behind her and straightened her body deliberately.

"Meng De, don't take what happened yesterday to heart. My mother-in-law has no bad intentions. She was just a little anxious. Don't take it personally."

She explained softly in a whisper.

Wang Mengde's gaze was involuntarily attracted to her. At this time, Qin Huairu had not yet had a fat waist caused by life, and she had not gained weight.

Maybe it's because of her special talent, but there are two big fruits hanging on her slender waist. Even if she wears a small cotton jacket, it's hard to hide her exquisite figure.

Wang Mengde exclaimed, "Wow!" He, an experienced driver in his previous life, could hardly bear it. If it were an ordinary young boy, he would definitely not be able to handle it and would definitely be confused when he met her.

"Haha, Sister Qin, I almost forgot about this." Wang Mengde said casually.

Then start brushing your teeth with pressurized water.

Qin Huairu secretly glanced at him from time to time, and her cheeks suddenly turned red.

"Mengde, you are already at the age to get married. Do you have a girl you like?" After a while, Qin Huairu hurriedly spoke when she saw Wang Mengde brushing his teeth and washing his face and preparing to go back.

"Sister Qin, I've just started working and I haven't found one yet." Wang Mengde stopped helplessly, turned around and said.

"Oh. There's no suitable one yet!" Qin Huairu's eyes lit up and she immediately became energetic: "Meng De, my second uncle has a younger sister who is almost 18 years old this year. How about introducing her to you?

Don't worry, my sister is very pretty and good at work, and the girls in our Qin family are good at giving birth, you will be blessed if you marry her."

After saying this, she looked at him expectantly. She thought to herself that if she could become a relative of Wang Mengde, and with the help of the matchmaker, she might be able to gain some benefits in the future.

"Sister Qin, I'm currently doing an internship at my workplace and don't want to find a partner for the time being. Thank you."

Wang Mengde refused without hesitation.

He didn't want to have anything to do with the Jia family. Besides, starting this year, rural wives and children born there would have no household registration or quota, which would cause trouble in the future.

(End of this chapter)