Chapter 102: Frugal Person

Chapter 102: Chapter 102: Frugal Person

As soon as she got to the Capital, Su Wan had her third brother find a bed frame, even before Lu Zhengchuan had decided to invite Aunt Zhao over.

Bed frames these days were relatively simple, with mortise and tenon joints. The one they found was a bit old, but Su Jue sanded it down, making it clean and neat again.

They just needed to move the frame into the woodshed and set it down.

"Wanwan, don’t move. Battalion Commander Lu and I will handle this. You just stand by and watch."

Aunt Zhao had sprinkled water on the floor while sweeping, so there wasn’t a speck of dust in the room.

Su Wan stood by the window, looking in.

Aunt Zhao was surprisingly strong, and she moved the bed frame with Lu Zhengchuan.

It was a single bed, so it didn’t make the woodshed feel too crowded.

"I asked around before I came. In the Capital, every inch of land is precious. Many city folk live in cramped spaces. To be able to rent such a nice courtyard house must cost a lot each month."

"Wanwan, don’t think you’re mistreating me by having me sleep in the woodshed. This room is at least seven or eight square meters. There are plenty of families of three in the city who live in a seven-or-eight-square-meter room, and that’s including the living room space."

As she spoke, Aunt Zhao finished setting up the bed frame and started laying the bedding on top.

"There’s no rice straw or wheat stalks here, so I brought all the cotton batting from my old home. It’s old, but it’s perfect for padding. It makes the bed soft right away. Then, put a cooling mat on top, and it won’t be hot."

"I also brought this mosquito net from back home. It’s not pretty, but it’s practical."

Aunt Zhao’s frugality was carved into her very bones.

But her sheets and quilt cover were kept very clean; you could even smell the scent of the sun on them.

"Aunt Zhao, I’ll have my third brother find a wardrobe for you later. It’ll be more convenient for you to store your clothes."

"No need, what would I need that for? I brought a rope." As Aunt Zhao spoke, she pulled a thick rope from her bundle. She tied the ends to the bed and the window, creating a simple clothesline.

Aunt Zhao simply hung her heavier clothes on the line and placed her lighter ones at the foot of the bed.

She didn’t have many clothes, so even after she finished unpacking, the room didn’t look any more cluttered.

Su Wan thought for a moment, then pulled Lu Zhengchuan back to their room. "I think we should still get her a desk and a wardrobe. We can’t let her live so uncomfortably. She won’t even have a place to put a cup of water if she wants a drink at night."

"Zheng Chuan, you go buy them," Su Wan said, handing him some money.

"Alright." Lu Zhengchuan took the money and left.

Su Wan had to study, so she didn’t go out. After a short half-hour nap, she sat down at the desk in her room to read.

And she read until evening.

Aunt Zhao finished her own things by two in the afternoon, then she immediately started tidying up the house—the courtyard, the kitchen, the living room.

When she was cleaning the living room, she noticed that the things inside, while seemingly ordinary, were all arranged beautifully and exquisitely. It was clear that Su Wan’s living standards were not as simple as they had been in the village.

When Lu Zhengchuan returned with a desk and a wardrobe on a three-wheeled cart, Aunt Zhao hurried over to help unload them.

"Zheng Chuan, where do this desk and wardrobe go?"

"Aunt Zhao, they go in your room." Lu Zhengchuan paid the final amount to the owner of the cart and saw him off. Hearing her question, he turned back and was about to move the wardrobe inside.

Hearing this, Aunt Zhao immediately became anxious. "You child, why are you so wasteful? This wardrobe looks expensive. What do you need to give it to me for?"

"Take it back. I can’t accept it."

"Aunt Zhao, it’s not for you. It’s just being temporarily stored in your room." Lu Zhengchuan knew perfectly well that Aunt Zhao didn’t want him and Wanwan to spend money on her.

"Think about it. I’m a battalion commander, and soon Wanwan will be a university student. We’ll probably have classmates, comrades-in-arms, or even leaders over for dinner. We can’t have such a big difference between the rooms. What would other people think if they saw that?"

"Also, if we’re too frugal, Wanwan won’t even be able to spend her own money in the future. It will give people the impression that we’re poor. It’s like if you suddenly wore a beautiful new dress—people would wonder where you got it from."

"And finally, your most important task in this home is to take care of Wanwan. You don’t need to worry about anything else."

Aunt Zhao wasn’t a fool. After hearing Lu Zhengchuan out, she instantly understood that her way of thinking was behind the times.

She was used to being frugal in the village. Plus... being all alone, she felt insecure without money saved up. But Su Wan and Lu Zhengchuan didn’t need to live the way she did.

Aunt Zhao sighed to herself. "Zheng Chuan, I’m sorry. It’s my old habits that I haven’t managed to change. Since I agreed to come and take care of Wanwan, it’s true that nothing else is important. Only Wanwan and the baby matter."

"Besides, I can’t expect you young people to live according to my habits. That would just make me a nuisance."

"Aunt Zhao, I don’t find you a nuisance. It’s just that our lifestyles are different. We just need some time to adjust to each other."

Aunt Zhao smiled and waved her hand dismissively. "I don’t understand all that fancy talk of yours, but I do understand not to meddle in other people’s business when you’re in their home."

"Come on, let’s move this furniture inside."

After saying her piece, Aunt Zhao got right to work.

Without a moment’s hesitation.

Lu Zhengchuan let out a sigh of relief. He had been a little worried that Aunt Zhao would get angry. After all, he had only just realized how completely different their lifestyles were. ’What if we can’t get along?’

With this on his mind, Lu Zhengchuan went to find Su Wan as soon as they finished moving the desk and wardrobe inside.

Su Wan was writing notes. When she heard a tap on the window, she didn’t even lift her head.

"Hold on."

Lu Zhengchuan happened to be free anyway, so he couldn’t help but lean against the bed, watching Su Wan quietly.

Su Wan’s profile was beautiful, and her focused expression was even more captivating. Lu Zhengchuan could never get tired of looking at her.

He didn’t know how long he’d been watching when Su Wan, finally finished with her work, put down her fountain pen and looked up.

"Zheng Chuan? Did you need me for something?"

Lu Zhengchuan knew she was a good student, but he was still defenseless against this scholarly look of hers.

He calmly walked over, sat on the edge of the bed, and reached out from behind to wrap his arms around Su Wan’s waist.

"Wanwan, just now with Aunt Zhao..." Lu Zhengchuan told her what had happened.

Su Wan said, "It’s normal for Aunt Zhao to not be used to things since she just arrived. Now that you’ve talked it over with her, there shouldn’t be any more problems."

"I knew you’d think that. But Wanwan, I didn’t come to you to complain about her. I wanted to tell you that if you and Aunt Zhao ever really have a conflict, I don’t want you to feel wronged or put up with it just because I was the one who found her."

"If you two really can’t get along, just tell me directly, and I’ll find another job for Aunt Zhao."

"Another job?" Su Wan was curious. "You can find jobs for people?"

"It’s not a great job or anything. It’s mainly because Aunt Zhao is a military dependent. After her husband, my comrade, was killed in action, there are subsidies available for her situation. These can be converted into a job placement if she wants. But she was never willing to take it before, insisting on staying in the village," Lu Zhengchuan explained with a soft sigh.

That figured. He wasn’t the type to pull strings.