It was already dark in Yanjing, and Gu Xiaoyu had finished work. She had gone to the Post and Telecommunications Office to make the call.
After buying a house and furnishing Li Long's two courtyards, Gu Xiaoyu no longer had enough money to install a telephone.
She had not considered installing one anyway. It was far too extravagant for her at present.
"Xiaoyu? It's Li Long. Your sister isn't home from work yet," Li Long said after picking up the phone and confirming it was her.
"That's all right, brother-in-law. I have a few things to tell you first," Gu Xiaoyu said. "I cleaned your two courtyards. Some of the odds and ends looked too old to use, so I had them hauled away as rubbish. Then I bought some basic furniture from a consignment shop and put it inside. When you and my sister have time to come over, at least you'll be able to stay at your own place."
"Well, thank you so much! That must have been quite a job, wasn't it?" Li Long felt rather bad. Having a young woman clean up two sizable courtyards-wasn't that putting her through too much?
Although Gu Xiaoyu had volunteered, he certainly could not simply accept it without doing anything. He said:
"Give me the number there. I'll call you back. These long-distance calls aren't cheap."
Gu Xiaoyu said there was no need, but Li Long insisted, so she hung up.
Li Long dialed the number, and once the call connected, he said:
"You have a job now. Doing all this on top of that must keep you busy enough. We can't have you paying for the furniture too. I'll send you some money tomorrow-don't rush to refuse. You've bought your own courtyard too, haven't you? When you buy household