From Modern Struggles to Timeless Love: A Pharmacist's Tale

Chapter 5: Building a House

The next day, Li Mei sat at the small table in the corner of their room, a pencil and a piece of paper in front of her. She was focused on drawing a floor plan for their new house. She wanted to make sure it would be comfortable for their family, with enough space for everyone.

She started with the basics, drawing a square for each room: four bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, and a study room. She then added in the bathroom and toilet with porcelain bowls, both of which would be inside the house.

Li Mei wanted to make sure there would be plenty of natural light, so she included a few windows in each room too.

As she drew, she calculated the dimensions of each room and estimated the amount of materials they would need.

Once she finished her sketch, she sat back and admired her work. It wasn't perfect, but it was a good start.

She turned to Zhang Wei, who was sitting on the kang with the twins, playing with them.

"Zhang Wei, can you come here for a moment?" Li Mei called out.

Zhang Wei got up and walked over to the table where Li Mei was sitting.

"What is it?" he asked.

Li Mei eagerly showed him her plan. "What do you think? Isn't it great?"

Zhang Wei examined the plan and nodded thoughtfully. "It looks good. But have you thought about how much it will cost?"

She hadn't considered the costs yet. "No, I haven't. Are you able to have a rough estimate of how much it will be?"

Zhang Wei took a deep breath and began to list the prices of the materials they would need. "Well, we will need bricks, cement, wood, nails, roofing tiles, paint, and other miscellaneous items. I estimate it will cost us around 3,000 yuan."

Li Mei's eyes widened in surprise. She had no idea that it would cost so much. "3,000 yuan? That's a lot of money but we can still afford it. Having a comfortable house is very important. Let's work hard to earn more money. We can use the 4,800 yuan we have first."

Zhang Wei agreed. "I'll ask the village chief later about how to get the materials we need. I'll be going to work after lunch and will be back during dinner time."

Li Mei nodded. "En, I'll also go and collect herbs later after lunch so I can sell them at the city tomorrow. We'll need to make more money to build our house."

Li Mei had sparkling eyes and she looked very determined.

Zhang Wei was looking at her and his gaze softened. "Yes, I will support you in what you want to do."

For lunch, Li Mei was excited to try making moo goo gai pan, a healthy and vegetable-rich dish that she had learned about from her time in the city.

She washed and sliced the vegetables and chicken, making sure to keep them separate. She then heated up some oil in a wok and added in the sliced chicken, stirring it around until it was cooked through.

Next, she added in the sliced mushrooms and bamboo shoots, giving them a quick stir-fry. She then added in the sliced carrots and snow peas, letting them cook for a few minutes until they were tender but still crunchy.

Finally, she added the oyster sauce, which gave the dish a savory flavor without being too salty. She stirred everything together until it was well mixed and then took the wok off the heat.

She spooned the moo goo gai pan into a large bowl and set it on the dining table, along with some bowls and chopsticks.

"Lunch is ready!" she called out to her family, who were already gathering around the table.

Zhang Wei and the twins hurried over to the table, taking their seats and eagerly picking up their chopsticks. Li Mei smiled, feeling happy to see her family enjoying the meal she had prepared.

The moo goo gai pan was delicious, with the flavors of the vegetables and chicken blending together perfectly. The shiitake mushrooms added a subtle earthiness to the dish, and Li Mei felt good knowing that it was loaded with nutrients that would support her family's health.

As they ate, the twins chattered happily, their little faces smeared with bits of food.

"It's delicious Mom!" Duoduo said cheerfully.

"Yeah!" Agreed Xiaoxiao.

Zhang Wei looked at the twins with a smile on his lips. He then turned to Li Mei, "Yes, it's delicious."

Li Mei saw Zhang Wei's smile and blushed.

Flustered, she added some more meat to Zhang Wei's bowl to shut him up. "Eat more so you'll have energy for work later."

Li Mei, Zhang Wei, and the twins were in the middle of lunch when they heard a knock on the door. Zhang Wei went to answer it, and there was Liu Yan, standing outside with a smile on her face.

"Hello, Zhang Wei, Li Mei," Liu Yan greeted them. "I hope I'm not interrupting your lunch."

Li Mei smiled politely. "No, not at all. Please come in."

Liu Yan stepped inside, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the food on the table. "Oh, that smells delicious. What are you having?"

Li Mei beamed. "We're having moo goo gai pan. It's a dish made with chicken, mushrooms, snow peas, carrots, and bamboo shoots."

Liu Yan's stomach growled at the mention of food. "That sounds amazing. I haven't had a home-cooked meal in ages."

Zhang Wei looked at Liu Yan coldly and asked. "Is there something you need, Liu Yan?"

Liu Yan's smile faltered a little. "Yes, actually. The village chief has asked me to ask you to come to the office. There's some work that needs to be done on behalf of the village."

Zhang Wei's expression turned cold. "Can't it wait until after lunch? We're still eating."

Liu Yan looked a little taken aback. "I'm sorry, Zhang Wei. I didn't mean to interrupt your lunch. I'll go ahead and leave. Thank you for the invitation, Li Mei. The food smells amazing."

Zhang Wei nodded curtly, and Liu Yan turned to leave still glancing at Zhang Wei.