The county town's coal supply point. A long queue stretches to the street corner, everyone pressing together, discussing what is lacking at home and what the supply point has been short on.
Mr. Zhang sits on the horse cart, listening to the city folks talking, his back straight with pride. It seems his family's life isn't much different from those in the city. Secretly pleased in his heart, he looks at his new clothes and at the long queue; he could count those not wearing patched clothes with a slap of his palm.
The Zhang family's eldest son-in-law, Zhang Chunming, is in line. After finally getting over three hundred pounds of coal balls, the two of them sit directly on the cart and head to the newly bought courtyard. Yesterday, they completed the household registration, and the original owner had just left. Now, Zhang Meili is already tidying things up, and when she sees her father coming, she quickly hands hot water to the two of them.
