Chapter 152: New Home Decoration
“Wife, I’ve set up a bath tub for you,” Gu Tingxiao said as he walked into the bedroom. “You can bathe in the room from now on. You’ll just have to put up with using the outhouse for the toilet.”
Hearing this, Sheng Wanyan’s eyes lit up. She hadn’t noticed any tub when they arrived. “Where is it?”
Gu Tingxiao slipped out to the backyard kitchen and carried in a large wooden tub and two buckets of water. He placed the tub right next to the brick stove, which sat at just the right height to completely block it from view. No wonder she hadn’t noticed it.
Wanyan examined the tub and found it surprisingly large and deep. There would be no problem sitting inside and fully stretching her legs.
“Take a rest, wife. I’ll go boil the water for you.”
After speaking, Gu Tingxiao headed back outside. Their yard featured a private well with a hand pump. He primed it with a splash of water, pumped the handle up and down, and a steady stream of fresh water gushed out. Having their own well would make life incredibly convenient; they wouldn’t have to haul water from a communal source.
Resting was out of the question for Sheng Wanyan, as there was still a mountain of organizing to do. She ran her fingers along the wardrobe and the kang, surprised to find them completely free of dust. It had been a month since Gu Tingxiao left for the Capital, so a layer of dust should have been inevitable. His comrades must have dropped by regularly to help keep the place clean.
The house was so spotless she couldn’t find a single flaw. She made a mental note to properly thank his friends when the time came.
Wanyan quickly made the bed and neatly arranged their clothes in the wardrobe. She placed the cakes, malted milk, White Rabbit milk candies, and other snacks into the bedroom cabinet and locked it securely. Her dowry trunk was temporarily placed in the empty space at the foot of the bed, where it would stay until they built a proper storage rack. Fortunately, the master bedroom was spacious enough to give her plenty of room to arrange things.
Next, she placed their worn shoes into a separate bag and set them neatly by the entryway of the living room. They didn’t actually have that many belongings—mostly just clothes and quilts. Mother Gu had originally wanted to pack an entire bounty of meat and vegetables for them, and if she hadn’t been worried about the food spoiling and smelling on the train, she probably would have shipped the contents of her entire pantry.
Wanyan retrieved a pen and paper from her dowry trunk, sat down at the writing desk, and began drafting a shopping list for their new home.
First, the bedroom needed a storage rack. A five-tier unit would be perfect, and the width just needed to match her dowry trunk. She also wanted a freestanding clothes rack, similar to the modern ones from her previous life; she loathed folding clothes and preferred the convenience of hanging them.
For the living room entryway, she wanted a multi-tiered wooden shoe rack. She also specified a taller, rectangular dining table that would sit roughly at her waist, allowing four people to sit comfortably on either side. While she personally preferred round tables, they weren’t readily available, and since they needed furniture immediately, she didn’t want to waste time drawing up custom blueprints and waiting weeks for production. Simple chairs with backrests to match the table height would suffice.
Next on her list was a custom sofa frame made of wood. She wanted it rectangular and a bit wider than usual for maximum comfort, flanked by two matching single-seater frames on either side. She planned to sew the cushions herself, having learned tailoring skills from Grandma Sheng. Worst-case scenario, she could secretly pull materials from her pocket dimension; she would just buy standard fabric from the supply and marketing cooperative to sew the outer pillowcases, then slip her own cushions inside. She would purchase a sewing machine, cotton batting, and extra fabric later.
For the coffee table, she chose a simple, single-layered rectangular design. She explicitly avoided adding a bottom shelf; in her experience, lower shelves were a nightmare to clean and only served as a magnet for dust. Although her preferred style wasn’t common for the 1970s, the lines were clean and simple, requiring very little technical skill from a carpenter. Lastly, they needed a standard storage cabinet typical of the era.
The kitchen required a rack to organize pots, pans, and utensils. Since wood easily prone to mold when exposed to water, she decided a large bamboo storage rack would be best for holding their dishes, chopsticks, and cookware. She wanted it divided into distinct sections to keep things organized and hygienic. Even if it didn’t completely stop bacteria, it would look much more visually appealing.
Currently, they only owned one large iron wok. She needed to buy a coal stove and a few ceramic pots for simmering soups and other delicacies. Alongside the large bamboo rack, the kitchen also needed a long rectangular prep table for meals.
Just as Wanyan finished her list, Gu Tingxiao walked in with the hot bathwater.
“Wife, your bath is ready. Once you’re done, we’ll head out to find a carpenter and visit the cooperative.”
“Alright.” It was already three in the afternoon, so they needed to move quickly.
Wanyan stood up and was about to unbutton her clothes when she noticed Gu Tingxiao standing firmly by the door, holding a bucket and staring right at her.
“Can you please go out?”
“Wife…” Gu Tingxiao looked slightly aggrieved. Why wasn’t he allowed to watch his own wife? “Hurry up and bathe so we can go out.”
“Wife, it would be much faster if we washed together.”
Sheng Wanyan: “…”
Wanyan flatly refused. The man’s promises of “saving time” were completely untrustworthy. Without a word, she shoved a pair of his shorts and a bar of soap into his hands and pushed him toward the door.
“If you keep stalling, I’m taking the next train back to the Capital!” she threatened.
Faced with her ultimatum, Gu Tingxiao immediately gripped his shorts and darted toward the backyard. “I’m going, I’m going! No stalling at all!”
Soon, the sound of splashing water echoed from the yard, any trace of his earlier grievance entirely gone. Wanyan could only shake her head with an amused sigh.
She unwrapped her soap, stepped into the tub, and treated herself to a thorough, deeply satisfying scrub.
By the time she finished, Gu Tingxiao came back inside to carry the heavy tub out and empty the water. Even in the sweltering June heat, Wanyan could feel a palpable wave of coolness radiating from his body as he passed.
“Did you… take a cold shower?”
“It’s not cold,” he replied easily. June was the peak of summer, and he was used to dousing himself with cold well water to beat the heat. Even in the dead of winter, he could take a freezing shower without batting an eye.
Wanyan nodded. Men naturally carried a higher body temperature while women tended to run cold; the physical difference between them was quite vast.
“Wife, can I share the tub with you tonight?” Gu Tingxiao asked, casting a hopeful, pleading look her way.
Wanyan gave a helpless nod. “Just a bath. Nothing else.”
“Mm, just a bath,” Gu Tingxiao promised, his eyes wide with absolute sincerity. Wanyan believed him about half-heartedly.
“Change your clothes so we can go out,” she ordered.
Receiving his command, Gu Tingxiao immediately went to get ready. He needed to borrow a military vehicle from the base pool; they had too many large items to buy today, and it would be impossible to haul everything back without a truck.
Wanyan handed him her shopping list. Gu Tingxiao scanned it and quickly added a few notes of his own.
“Wife, I’ll buy you a radio too. That way you can listen to broadcasts when you’re bored at home. As for this bamboo kitchen rack, a standard carpenter might not get it right. I’ll head up to the mountain tomorrow to cut some fresh bamboo and build it myself. Is this shoe rack just a smaller version of the bedroom storage rack?”
Wanyan was thoroughly impressed by his quick comprehension. “Exactly.”
“Wood or bamboo?”
“Wood,” Wanyan decided instantly. The living room would be furnished entirely in wood, so keeping the shoe rack consistent would look best. She didn’t want a jarring mix of materials disrupting the flow of the room.
“Got it,” Gu Tingxiao agreed. His wife’s ideas were practical and straightforward to build.
Then, he paused, looking at the list again. “Wife, what should we do about the kitchen when winter comes?”
